


Cry Havoc

by Kirabaros



Series: Scars of Duty [4]
Category: Call of Duty (Video Games), Call of Duty Modern Warfare
Genre: F/M, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-03-29
Updated: 2018-04-04
Packaged: 2019-04-14 14:48:22
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 26
Words: 103,901
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14138280
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kirabaros/pseuds/Kirabaros
Summary: A year since the events of Band of Brothers and things look well for the most part. The only tricky part is that Makarov is still on the loose and he has something big planned beginning with Zakhaev International and into the race for the 141 to bring him in. Secrets and betrayal fill the path ahead. Part IV of Scars of Duty.





	1. Chapter 1

Said sat at the table in the box waiting for the interviewee to arrive. It had been an interesting week so far and he was starting to realize that there were things that maybe were missed. Then again there were things that he expected when they first started talking about them and then it didn’t go the way he expected. It was like she was putting things into a logical progression and adding things to the ‘story’ so that he would understand it.

Said looked at the transcripts that he had of what he had been told so far. He had to admit that there was a lot more than what the official reports said and he had what had been filed by Shepherd. This was turning out to be a very interesting story and he could tell that the guards assigned were curious as well.

The guard that had been escorting his interviewee in the past few days came in with her. He was youngish looking and had a military cut to his hair that was dark. His brown eyes were quick and alert and he had a stern expression. He was total military and Said did what he could not to roll his eyes. He didn’t have a problem with the military. He was army himself but he did draw the line on the cowboy outlook of things.

“You’re early Said. Something must have happened or they are serving crap in the canteen,” Nicolette said as she sat down across from him. “Well that’s a given even with the death row privacy I have.”

Said wanted to laugh since he was in agreement with the day’s food choices. No doubt she said something about it but would have doggedly ate a little of it. He figured it was one of the curses of being a military man. The food was always bad and that was the only thing that they all could agree on along with the shit for motor oil they called coffee.

“I see you are of the same mindset as me.” Nicolette gave a slight smile as she stretched her arms before crossing them over her chest.

“I’m military myself. I know how bad the food gets,” Said replied with a slight smile of agreement. “I do trust that you managed to keep up for appearances sake?”

“I have no idea what the fuck you are talking about.”

Said took in the playful expression. She was amused and she looked refreshed from the night before. It was like with every story she was perking up. It was interesting to contemplate. He replied, “Just showing that you are being cooperative.”

“If you haven’t seen that by now then you must be fucking blind.” Nicolette leaned back in her chair. She studied the interrogator and noted the files on the table. It seemed to her that he was being thorough with everything. “So what are we doing today?”

“I thought you were telling the story?”

“I am, but I like playing the word games with your questions.”

Said looked across the table at Nicolette. At first he was suspicious of her motives but then he changed his mind. One of his secrets to being a good interrogator was to be held as a prisoner himself. He had volunteered to be treated like a prisoner and questioned. He was amazed at the means available to a prisoner that was to be interrogated.

It placed a different perspective before him and he had a respect for those that had to endure it. He suspected that there were loose ends that would start to weave their way back into the story told so far. He replied, “Alright so MacTavish found you in Morocco…”

“Pff,” Nicolette countered with a slightly rude sound. She made a gesture like it was not really an important thing and added, “He didn’t actually find more. More like a meddling Russian who is too much of a good friend.”

She had uttered the words with affection lacing her voice. Said could see that she was grateful for the way things had turned out. “So the asset codenamed Nikolai was the one that told MacTavish where you were.”

“Of course he would know. He’s my friend and it’s not like I made him promise not to tell.”

Said chuckled, “Okay so you and MacTavish returned to the 141 base… what next?”

“Well I gave Ghost back his Oakleys after I made him chase me around the base,” Nicolette replied with a hint of pride. At the look Said was giving her she smirked, “He was still in training. Man had a broken leg.”

“So it was training?”

“And a greeting. Everyone got a laugh anyway.” Nicolette shrugged her shoulder like it was nothing. “Though no one would laugh in front of Ghost. That would be anyone’s mistake.”

“Except you.”

“He’d kick my ass if he could and he did a couple of times in training.” Nicolette put her hands on the table and clasped them together. She tapped the table surface. “We understood each other as comrades in arms.”

“Sanderson?”

“My best mate,” Nicolette replied. “Roach accepted me no matter what and I think most people don’t give him the credit he deserves for being what he was.” She looked at Said and added, “Roach may not have seemed much in many cases but he had a way of seeing things and had a knack for saying things at the right moment. He could surprise you.”

Said made the notation as he adjusted the tape recorder that was recording. “So things went well?”

“Not perfect. It was a matter of one getting Ghost and Roach back into shape and two just learning to work with what was now out between the four of us.” Nicolette looked around and at the guard. She sighed as she looked back at Said. “We were all on the same page and we were well aware that there were things that couldn’t be shared for certain reasons. Yet Ghost especially was willing to work with that. Roach had my back no matter what and MacTavish… you know where that came from.”

“Could you elaborate?”

“Considering that you are wondering if I am referring to quite possibly good sex, then hell no.” Nicolette sat back in her seat with a slight smirk. She watched as Said’s face went a little red. He was curious about it. “Still hung up on that? I’m surprised your trainee who is it Pope? Surprised he didn’t come busting in or something.”

“I think he learned his lesson,” Said replied after clearing his throat.

“No because he thinks I am scum,” Nicolette said in a matter of fact tone. “It’s what happens when they are made to think that the only way is being physical with the prisoner. Lot of ways to get a person to break but some things…”

“I take it that you know that.”

“Takes a prisoner to know a prisoner. That’s why Ghost and I got along so well.” Nicolette turned a stern gaze towards Said. Even after all that had happened, sometimes it was hard to talk about certain things.

“Is that part of it?”

“We’ll see,” she replied with a shrug.

“So what happened after recovery and…” Said gestured to prompt her to speak.

“The usual. Same shit, different day.” Nicolette sighed as she relaxed. “The ultranationalists got what they were after and those that we had helped… time makes people forget.”

“Anything specific?”

“First mission for the Three Musketeers was rescuing a convoy that had been attacked in Iran or Iraq, near the border there. Marines were taken prisoner and were going to be made an example of.”

“You were rescue?”

Nicolette looked at Said and replied, “We chase the terrorists no matter what form. It’s our job.” She then sat back and added, “Of course we also help brothers in arms.”

Said nodded in agreement with that. It was not really a necessary question but it did give insight to what the 141 did after their mission in Afghanistan in the poppy fields. Perhaps she already knew that and indulged. He really had been thrown for a loop getting to know her. “The Three Musketeers?”

“Because Ghost and Roach were my wingmen and for the most part we did a lot of missions together. That one though it was me and Roach.” Nicolette shrugged her shoulders like it was no big deal.

The action had Said suspicious. He had been watching her movements and looking for her ‘tells’. There were certain things she did when she revealed something, corrected, was being stupid on purpose… all her movements were designed for a specific purpose. Said thought he might have had them figured out but he wasn’t going to presume anything. That kind of thing could get you in trouble. Still he asked, “You want to talk about that?”

“No. Because it isn’t important.” At the look Said was giving her, Nicolette raised her brow as she explained, “All the missions we did until the incident at Zakhaev International… it was business as usual. The moral of those stories are mostly to emphasize that we were a team.”

“Surely there was something to work with,” Said prodded. It was a gamble but he was willing to give it a shot. What she thought important was not necessarily the same thing to him.

“Business as usual.”

“Walker, you and I both know that Makarov didn’t just disappear off the grid.”

“No but his life was made a living hell. The Black Fox made sure of that.” Nicolette stared defiantly at Said as if daring him to tread into a territory that may prove to be risky. She would play rough if she had to.

“I highly doubt it. The Fox doesn’t exist according to you,” Said taunted. He was changing his game and he wondered if she would bite.

“In the course of the story but the Fox is very much real,” Nicolette countered. She gave a slow and sly smile as she looked at the man. She then leaned close. She was so close that she could touch Said’s nose with hers. “There are things that are allowed only because it is so.”

“Sit down,” the guard said and motioned that he was authorized to use deadly force.

Nicolette sat back and smirked at her escort, “I used to have a baby be my escort and he was just as straight laced as you except you have a stick up your ass.”

Said held out his hand to warn off anything that would go physical. No doubt it could get physical if he allowed it or she changed her mind and decided to do that. He didn’t even doubt that she could get herself out of here if she wanted to. She had plenty of opportunities and he had set up some fairly obvious ones.

“Well that was fun,” Nicolette said as she stared at Said. Her gaze became impassive as she continued, “Same shit, different day; that’s how it was and we wondered what had happened.”

_Shepherd said it himself, the more things change, the more they stay the same. Boundaries shift, new players step in but power always finds a place to rest its head. History is written by the victor. Bring down one enemy and they find someone worse to replace him. Locations change, the rationale, the objective…yesterday’s enemies become today’s friends. The enemy of my enemy is my friend but in the end you better pray that they don’t come to hate you. The stage was set and most of us didn’t see it coming. Even with the analysts running their drills day and night we weren’t prepared for what was to follow so we did what we had to do…_

**Scars of Duty: Cry Havoc**

It was early in the morning. The skies were grey as the sun started to make its presence known. It was early but for MacTavish, he was in the habit of getting up early. His eyes opened slowly as his body started to wake up. He smiled slowly as he looked in the direction he was facing.

He was lying on his left side and it gave him a good view of the sleeping figure in front of him. Her back was towards him and she was held in place by his arm draped over the slope of her hip and waist with the covers bunched as if to support his arm and exposing the smooth skin of her shoulder broken only by the strap of the tank top she wore.

MacTavish continued to smile as he adjusted his position to get a better look at the sleeping figure of Nicolette. He liked watching her sleep since she looked more like the ‘delicate fairy’ that she looked like even though she was auburn haired rather than blonde. She looked more vulnerable but he knew that she was anything but that. Still it was nice to see her looking relaxed from worries of the world even if she was sleeping.

They had been together for a little over a year now and he was as happy as he was then when she told him she loved him. She made it possible to see that the world was not so bad and he liked to think that he did the same for her. It certainly showed when she stopped having nightmares and the circles under her eyes disappeared. In fact she was like when he first met her; she charged into the fray with a determined air and it certainly showed on their last few missions.

They had been careful about their relationship. It was lousy in that it felt like they were sneaking around but she was still under her military cover and a spy and he was a soldier and not just any soldier but the CO of the 141. He was not going to blow her cover and possibly compromise her safety; he would rather die than do that to her. It wasn’t too bad since she acted like she normally would with the rest of the team and Ghost and Roach kept their mouths shut about knowing her true occupation and what was going on… more because they liked her.

Looking around, MacTavish noticed the clock on the stand and what time it was. It was a busy day today since she was leaving for another one of her recon assignments as she coded them. He was busy too; more training. He thought about the best way to wake her up even though she could wake up on her own. He got a mischievous grin on his face and leaned forward.

Gently, he nuzzled her neck in the sensitive spot and kissed her letting her feel the scruffiness of his stubble. He grinned when she twitched slightly and continued to do it. He kissed the slope of her neck and started to hum a tune when he noticed she was going to move and possibly punch him. He hummed the tune in her ear and started to sing softly.

It was an old Scottish song that his mother used to sing when he was a boy. It came to mind since Nikolai always teased her about being a little bird learning to fly. Plus it sounded pretty when his mother sang it. He was surprised that he remembered the words. He sang, “I heard a wee bird singing in my chamber as I lay.”

He couldn’t resist kissing her and he continued the song as his kisses traveled down the slope of her neck towards her shoulder. The kisses were interspersed between pairs of lines, “The casement open swinging as morning woke the day. And the boughs around were twining, the bright sun through them shining and I had long been pining…”

At that moment Nicolette started to stir more. MacTavish grinned and moved back to nuzzling the sensitive spot in the nape of her neck and kissing it. He knew it tickled when he brushed his stubble and never hesitated to do it. He then moved to the square of her jaw and waited until she moved so she was facing him. She was blinking sleepily when he finished, “For my Nico far away when I heard the wee bird singing.”

Nicolette smiled sleepily and said, “That was a nice wake up call. You saved yourself from getting a punch in the face.”

MacTavish made a slight pout, “And I thought you liked me.” He grinned as he leaned forward to kiss her on the lips.

“You’re cute Third World ugly,” she replied as she accepted the kiss and gave one of her own.

“And I never win with you, can I?”

“Maybe,” Nicolette teased as she arched her back slightly. “If you know how.”

MacTavish peered at her and gave a slightly cocky grin, “Oh I know a few ways, lass. And some I learned from playing dirty.”

Nicolette grinned back with a dare in her eyes. “Do you really want to risk it at five thirty in the morning?”

MacTavish held her gaze. His arm was still draped around her waist and it was in perfect position. He was about to make his move when he felt a tug. Looking down he found her finger wound around his dog tags. He leaned forward when she tugged on them to bring him closer. “Are you gonna play hard ball, sweetheart? Cause I can meet your match.” He proved it by moving his hand towards her abdomen.

Nicolette held fast to his dog tags and peered at him with a coy look and replied, “I’ll play hardball MacTavish but the question is whether or not you are prepared for the consequences.”

It was a stare off as they gazed into each other’s eyes daring the other to proceed with their attack. MacTavish grinned and chuckled, “Alright you win… again.” He started laughing in his throat as he leaned forward and kissed her with a deep kiss.

Nicolette chuckled low as she accepted the kiss, releasing his dog tags. She wrapped her arms around his neck and sighed in contentment. “This is why I love you.”

MacTavish hummed and started tickling her with his kisses on her neck. “Cause I’m ruggedly handsome.”

“No you’re cute ugly.”

MacTavish started in on a tickle attack and it was funny as Nicolette squirmed while trying not to laugh out loud and wake someone up. She ended up squirming out of his reach and flipped him over onto his back and pinned him and gave a friendly punch for good measure. He was laughing silently and managed to say, “And _that_ is why I love you.”

Nicolette laughed quietly with him letting him sit up. Both were now fully awake and it was with great reluctance that they got up to get ready for another day. MacTavish received a pillow in the face when he offered to go with her into the shower and give a hand and ended up laughing as she walked to go to the showers she and Jolly used.

It was roughly an hour later when she was going over intel in the space designated as her office and going over last minute details of her mission when the call came through. The nice thing about having computers hooked to the phone was that you didn’t need a handset if the computer had a good mic. She saw the blinking light and touched the tabletop computer, “This is Lt. Price.”

_Lieutenant, I thought you’d be off earlier._

Nicolette studied the image of Shepherd that went with the call. It wasn’t live feed but served as a caller ID. His image was kind of… She looked at her data and replied, “Just looking at last minute intel, sir. I like being prepared. If this one works, then it will stir up the fish.”

_That’s what we want Lieutenant. You’ve done good work driving Makarov out but it seems he’s still not making a mistake._

“His service in Russian armed forces gives a pretty good picture.” Nicolette moved some windows aside and brought up the files of the other project that Shepherd asked her to put together. She had apprehensions about this one since he was going to use someone not within the intelligence community. “Sir I managed to finish the particulars for the special project.”

_Good. If we can get someone close enough, it will help catch this bastard._

“Sir, I am concerned about putting someone without training in this,” Nicolette voiced as she prepared to send the files through the secure line.

_We have no choice Lieutenant. With the Fox stirring up the hornet’s nest, it is better to have someone with a new face and you’ve already set up the necessary connections._

“At great cost sir. It isn’t easy to get contacts that have contacts to spread the word of the reputation of someone that would fit in with Makarov’s grand design. He will do a thorough check and if something doesn’t smell right either in the file or the operative doesn’t stay in character…”

_I am well aware of the risks Lieutenant. Like I said, we have no choice. History belongs to the victory and here I am thinking that we have won… We need this Lieutenant. I have confidence that you have put together the best package possible._

“Yes sir. All I need is the personnel and I can make him exist,” Nicolette replied.

_Good. I have one right here. Sending it now._

Nicolette looked at the ID. “Private Joseph Allen, 7th Battalion Army Rangers.”

_Best from his squad, Lieutenant._

Nicolette felt like she was signing the kid’s death warrant. Yet it was an idea that Shepherd had come up with to go after Makarov. Inside men usually helped big time in an op. She studied the face and decided that he looked good enough to be a Russian. She nodded, “Alright sir. I’ll have his identity created and my contact at CIA will have everything operational. All that’s left is to make him look convincing.”

_I’ll take care of that. You’ve got enough to worry about. There’s a downed ACS module held by the Russians. I am sending MacTavish and Sanderson in. You may have to take a slight detour._

“That won’t be a problem, sir,” Nicolette replied wondering why Shepherd was telling her this. If she was to know, she would have been summoned to the briefing room and they would see Shepherd looking like a diva on the big screen, as the joke went. He was off in Afghan with the Rangers at the Phoenix base.

_Good luck, Lieutenant._

“Thank you sir.”

_Lieutenant… this mission, like the others… We wouldn’t have gotten this far without you. When the time comes be prepared to receive the rewards._

“That would be an honor sir.”

Shepherd signed off leaving Nicolette to take a breath. She had become increasingly nervous at what was going on. There was nothing criminal to detect but something just didn’t sit right with her. It made her feel all the more better that her Operation Contingency was going to plan. She sighed as she pulled all the required information and got to work. She also took the time to rearrange her transport and look into the intel about the ACS module. “Some days it just feels like shit,” she murmured as she finished up what she was doing.


	2. Chapter 2

“Check. Are you online Addy?”

_Always am S64. All settings are operational and I have complete surveillance as needed. And the library protocols are working as well._

Nicolette chuckled as she put her earpiece in and adjusted her radio. “Well you know what to do Addy.”

_Copy that._

“Is the poppet ready?”

Nicolette turned to look at MacTavish. He looked like he was going on an extended trip into the Arctic but the weather did call for it since they were in the Tian Shan mountain range in Kazakhstan. “Addy is ready to go. She’s cued into yours and Roach’s comm. She’ll only respond if she assesses a threat and if you need something from her. It’s a secure channel so no one in op command will hear it.” She whispered it into his ear.

MacTavish put his set on and adjusted to the signal accordingly. “Poppet you online?”

_Reading you loud and clear, Captain._

MacTavish nodded, “Looks good.” He studied Nicolette and sighed, “Well time to get to work.”

“Yeah and I have a date in the jungle,” Nicolette teased.

“Are you trying to be the death of me?” MacTavish turned to look at her and bellow to Roach that they had ten minutes.

“Not my fault you can’t keep up.”

They ended up outside looking at the snowy mountains. Nicolette sighed and said, “Well at least I don’t envy you.” She gave a grin as she patted MacTavish’s shoulder. It became sober when MacTavish turned to look at her. She said, “Bring back my bug safe now.”

“Fine,” MacTavish said in a slightly exasperated tone. “I can’t believe that you…” he paused as he looked at her. He reached up and cupped her cheek. “I’ll bring us back. It’ll be okay.”

“I know. And I’ll bring the kid home too. I kind of like him.”

MacTavish gave a slight snort at that. “At least you’ve got someone I trust though I’d feel better if you had Ghost or one of the others with ya.”

“Duke is good. Besides he needs more experience and I think he’s still shaken up over the Afghan mission with the convoy. Not easy when you witness extreme interrogation.”

“Alright you made your point. Just stick to the plan and don’t do anything stupid.” MacTavish gave a firm look at Nicolette. His gaze held a lot more of what he wanted to say as he rubbed her cheek with his thumb.

“Likewise,” Nicolette replied with a nod.

At that moment Roach came out and MacTavish lowered his hand reluctantly. He turned to go but was stopped when Nicolette called out to both of them. She proceeded to kiss her thumb and tap Roach’s forehead putting it just under the beanie and did the same for MacTavish. She stood back and said, “For luck.”

“Now I know this mission will go well. Thanks Ryan,” Roach said with a grin.

“Parting is such sweet sorrow, Roach,” Nicolette replied. She gave a smile as she watched the pair leave to go on to their mission. When they were gone she tapped her earpiece and said, “Addy, do you have an update on my transport?”

In the meantime Roach and MacTavish made it to the part of the range where the base that held the ACS module was. The mission called for stealth and in a way that would mean almost certain death if going the wrong way. They crawled alongside the mountain range until they were at their starting point to infiltrate. The snow was thick and blowing and it clung to their faces and clothes.

Roach adjusted his position as he followed in MacTavish’s tracks. His snowshoes crunched in the snow as the cleats gripped the ground to prevent slipping. It was slow going since the ledge they were on forced them to hug the walls and there was barely enough room to kneel with your back against the wall. Freezing cold and possible death at over ten thousand feet high… Well this was the part of the job that was the fast and exciting. Roach saw his breath puff out in clouds of warmth after pulling his scarf down. He looked around to check his surroundings and his footing while following MacTavish until he stopped.

“Looks like time for a break,” MacTavish said. They couldn’t proceed further until they were clear. Addy managed to relay to him that there was a heavy presence on base in his area and recommended to stay. He was inclined to follow the AI’s advice since she was never wrong with her surveillance. He checked his pockets and his lip twitched when he found a cigar, his favorite blend and lit up.

Roach kneeled to take a breather along with MacTavish. He was actually hungry but didn’t say anything and just sat there until his hand brushed against one of his pockets. He checked it out and found that it was jerky and his mouth twitched like MacTavish’s. He had learned to like the stuff since it was lightweight to carry on longer ops. He remembered the eye roll that Ghost gave when Ryan shared what she had. _Always planning ahead._

Roach took a piece and broke off a smaller one to chew on. He offered the larger chunk to MacTavish. The man shook his head but thanked him for the offer. It was silent while they waited in the cold. MacTavish’s cigar was almost gone when the MIG flew overhead forcing some ice bits to fall. Both men watched while MacTavish received word from Addy.

Flicking his cigar over the edge, MacTavish said, “Break’s over Roach. Let’s go.”

It was a relief to be moving again and Roach stood up and inched his way forward, following MacTavish to the climbing point. He took the opportunity to look down and breathed a bit. He wasn’t afraid of heights but the idea that he was in a position to fall from a height was a nervous thing even though he had been in similar positions. Hell he survived a helicopter crash and he practiced falling on a daily basis. He turned his focus to the mission and was determined to see it through.

At the edge of the ledge, MacTavish stopped and pulled out his picks for climbing. He looked at Roach and said, “Stay here and spot me. Wait for my go.”

“Alright,” Roach replied as he watched as MacTavish dug in his picks and started to climb.

“Alright, the ice is good. Follow me.”

Roach pulled out his set and inched his way to where MacTavish had been standing previously and then dug in and started to climb. It was slow going but it was better to work slowly and make it in one piece than die because you grew careless and went too fast. They were making good time though and Roach was able to get to the ledge above without making MacTavish wait after nearly having a moment when the captain lost his footing the moment another fighter jet flew overhead. Roach felt the rumbling as he held on but watched as MacTavish flailed until he got his footing. Roach said, “Something not to tell her I guess.”

_It never happened._

It had been uttered in a light and serious tone. Roach knew that he would keep this one ‘off the record’. He didn’t even want to guess the times she didn’t mention things when she and one of the others worked with her. He climbed up and pulled himself over the ledge to meet MacTavish who looked like a wild mountain man with the snow clinging to his face and beanie. Roach was certain he looked the same since his cheeks were cold and he could feel the ice.

MacTavish took a breath of relief. It had been a close call with that slip but he didn’t fall. They had to keep moving. He walked over to check out the edge and pursed his lips. It looked like they would be jumping. He turned to see Roach walking up. “Looks like we’re jumping.”

Roach glanced over to take a look. Well this wasn’t meant to be easy. If it was then everyone could do it. He nodded, “Lead the way.”

“Good luck, mate. I’ll see you on the far side.” MacTavish held his picks ready and taking a breath he ran towards the edge and pushed off towards the ice wall in front of him. He used all his strength to drive them in and hang on.

Roach appeared and drove his picks in but not deep enough and he was sliding down the mountainside. He really was pushing his luck today especially since one of his picks managed to dig in but it left him flailing in the air.

“Hold on! Don’t let go!”

 _I’m holding on_ , was all that Roach’s mind was screaming as he reached up to grab his wedge pick with both hands and try to pull himself up but the weight proved too much and it gave way. In a shower of ice Roach found himself starting to fall until he was grabbed by MacTavish on the arm. He blinked but was ready for it when MacTavish flung him up and he got a good grip on the ice.

The pair continued the climb up to the surface that got them into the base. The wind from the blowing snow masked their grunts as they climbed up steadily. The heat from their breath made clouds of smoke as they pulled themselves over and up. Roach took a breath as he hung up his picks and brought up his silenced ACR and locked and loaded. He turned to check on MacTavish who was coming up and pulling his rifle. “I guess we’re even,” Roach said.

“Not a word.”

“Solid copy.”

The pair hopped up some ledges and MacTavish automatically took cover behind some boulders. He looked at Roach and spoke through the comm, “Roach, check your heartbeat sensor.”

Roach flipped open the sensor and turned in on. He checked to make sure everything was connected. He notice MacTavish doing the same. They knew they were going to need something since their visibility would be down to zero until they were right upon any tangos.

“Can you see me on the scope?”

“Blue dot meaning it’s you,” Roach replied as he checked it.

“Aye, and any unrecognized contacts will show up as white dots,” MacTavish replied with a nod. They knew all this but sometimes reminding each other put the mission into focus. He signaled Roach to follow, “Let’s go.”

Staying low they started to make their way in. MacTavish took point and guided Roach in. He started to move into position when he saw the first set of guards. “Roach these muppets have no idea we’re here. Let’s take it nice and slow. You take the one on the left. On three. One, two three.”

Tangos were down and time to move on. They continued forward, checking their surroundings for any surprises. The only there was another pair of guards. They were dispatched cleanly and quietly. The wind started to get harder and colder.

_Storm is brewing up._

Roach took a look. He was in agreement with that. He pulled his scarf over his mouth to conserve heat and continued to follow MacTavish. They made it into the base. Now they had to just find a way to get in and get to the module.

_Let’s split up. I’ll use the thermal scope and provide over watch from this ridge. Use the cover of the storm to enter the base. You’ll be a ghost in this blizzard so the guards won’t see you until you’re very close. Keep an eye on your heartbeat sensor and good luck and try not to make it so I have to not say anything._

“Same to you,” Roach replied as he turned to make his way down into the base. He had the cover of the storm like MacTavish said. Now he had his chance to show off how ‘sneaky’ he could be. He gave an inward snort at that as he moved forward.

****

“Took the scenic route, eh?” MacTavish couldn’t help but smirk a bit at Roach.

“Nothing wrong with a little bit of scenery,” Roach countered as he returned the smirk with one of his own. “Switzerland comes to mind.”

“Cheeky bastard,” MacTavish replied without malice. Roach could always be counted upon to mention something that involved her. He only had to mention a place and those who knew would understand. “Let’s go.”

They entered the hangar with MacTavish taking point. It was quick and silent as he took out a lone guard from behind with his knife. Sure enough the satellite was there. MacTavish took a look at it and said, “Go upstairs and look for the ACS module.”

Roach double timed it up the stairs. He found it odd that there was only one guard there in the hangar bay. The ACS module was highly valuable in terms of the information it held. If the Russians cracked it, they would have wealth at their fingertips. He kept that in mind as he looked all around the room for any sign of the module.

MacTavish was having the same apprehensions as Roach. He found it unusual himself but he went to work on the satellite. It may have been less than five when a noise caught his attention and he looked up. The hangar bay doors were opening and he could hear Russian being uttered. In a low voice he called Roach, “Roach, I’ve been compromised. Keep a low profile and hold your fire.”

_This is Major Petrov! Come out with your hands up!_

MacTavish knew things were about to get crazy. He hid behind the satellite while he ascertained their plan. He knew Roach would be up above and watching everything below. He knew that they were going to have to go with plan B.

Roach was in the same mindset as he slowly left the room with the ACS module secured on his person. He stayed down and inched his way out until he had a good view behind some crated that had been stacked on his level. They would provide a good hiding place for now.

_You have five seconds to comply!_

_They are bloody serious_ , Roach thought to himself as he looked at the scene below. He could MacTavish coming out slowly and there was a hell of a lot of Russians outside and they were armed. This was going to go south.

_Roach, go to plan B._

Roach knew what that meant and pulled out the detonator for the C4 that he had planted at the fueling station. Plan B had become a euphemism meaning that they were going to shoot their way out and that was usually proceeded by a really big bang. Roach had packed the explosives himself with a little something extra to make a bigger boom and he was glad that he did.

Easing up he peered over the edge of the crates and could make out MacTavish advancing towards the Russians with his hands up. They looked ready to shoot but he had to time it just right. Pressing the trigger, he was ready to bring up his rifle. With MacTavish, they fired on the Russians taking every last one of them out while the smoke rose giving away the evidence of his plan B and MacTavish was already on his way towards the doors.

“Stay close and hug the Wall! We’ll use the MiGs for cover and cross the tarmac to the southeast!”

That was easier said than done but Roach was certain they could do it. The funny thing was that he no longer felt cold. His adrenaline was up and the move to survive was kicking into high gear. He followed MacTavish out onto the tarmac and proceeded to cover as they moved forward.

“Roach, follow me! Let’s go!”

Once outside, they had to use caution since there were plenty of places for the Russians to hide. MacTavish covered Roach as he moved up towards a MiG for cover. Roach in turn provided cover for MacTavish when he advanced towards a pair of jeeps. It was back and forth as they made their way across the tarmac.

“Snowmobiles! Take them out! To the east Roach! Go!”

The snow from the storm was still flying but with the explosions going on, there was no way to use it for cover. Visibility was still difficult but it was no longer an advantage. Roach proceeded to the east and managed to take out the snowmobiles that were bringing in more troops. He caused one to swerve and it crashed into its partner. They both flipped and the occupants were tossed out. It was a hard landing and they wouldn’t be getting up any time soon. It was enough to allow Roach and MacTavish to get a move on.

“I’ll make a run to the next MiG. Give some covering fire.” MacTavish took the chance when he saw it and moved towards the next MiG for cover. This wasn’t what he had hoped it would turn oout but you didn’t always get what you wanted.

_Captain, I am picking up heavy fire in your area._

“Plan B, poppet,” MacTavish said into his comm.

_Understood. Current trajectory is good. Head to the southeast. Means of transport can be secured to get to exfil._

“Copy that,” MacTavish replied. He aimed and covered fire to allow for Roach to advance. He made sure Roach was good to go since they had to make a break for it. “Alright. Let’s go.”

It was a mad dash to the gate and a slide down the slope. They weren’t out of the woods just yet. MacTavish covered Roach as he slid down and was waiting for the first of the hostiles to appear. Roach joined him and they took them out just as a few snowmobiles came out.

_Those are your transport._

“Kind of figured that out,” MacTavish muttered as he moved to get into position to take out the driver and commandeer the snowmobile. He grabbed the driver and yanked him off while giving a stab to the throat. He looked up at Roach who was finishing off the occupants of another and shouted, “Roach, take that snowmobile! Let’s get the hell out of here!”

Nothing more was said as the pair climbed aboard the snowmobiles and took off down the tundra in the direction of their exfil. Roach was a little unsteady and had to find his balance since he hadn’t really had experience with these things. Still it was easy to figure out and he gunned it following in MacTavish’s wake. Not too far behind though were hostiles and they were tailing them on their own snowmobiles.

_Kilo Six-One, the primary exfil point is compromised! We’re en route to the backup LZ using enemy transport! Meet us there! Over!_

_Bravo Six, this is Kilo Six-One, roger that. We’ve got you covered, out._

It was a relief that Chief was behind the helm on this one. MacTavish was grateful that the pilot had made a full recovery and was back to flying the birds necessary for their missions. He knew he could count on Chief to be there at the LZ and get them out. A noise caught his attention though and he turned to look behind. He shouted at Roach, “More tangos to the rear! Just outrun them! Go! Go!”

Roach didn’t need to be told twice. He did the best he could to outrun them while trying hard not to crash the damn thing. It seemed he always got stuck doing the driving and it was a wonder that he and his passenger were able to walk away… much like another time in the forests of the Ukrainian mountains.

_They had managed to get their intel. It was one of those special missions that Ryan was sent out on and it came directly from Shepherd. They were supposed to go in, set the stage, grab the intel and get out. It worked for the most part but even the best laid plans were laid to shite._

_The target had ordered extra security and they ended up getting caught and had to shoot their way out. Ryan had what they needed and he was covering their backs. They were to secure transport from the garage. It was one of those designer Hummer things that looked like cheap plastic compared to actual armored Humvees._

_“Get in and drive,” Ryan said._

_Roach did as he was told and got in the driver seat while she fired from her gun to buy them some time. He was a good driver but his luck ended up more like hers. They always seemed to get the worst of it and ended up crashing or doing something equally crazy. This time they were going to actually drive and leap over the dip the hill was creating and get on the main road._

_“We’re not going to make it,” Roach said._

_“We’ll make it.”_

They did end up making it and they managed to get to the road that would lead them to their exfil point. They had to ditch their ride fairly early since it was that much of an eye sore but they got out and they had what they needed to get. It was certainly one for the books and Roach could always count on Ryan to make things interesting even when things when according to plan. It was like ever since Afghan, she was determined to make things work… it was a new bolder version of her and one willing to take the fight to Makarov.

_Bravo Six, we’re getting close to bingo fuel. What’s your status over?_

_Kilo Six-One, we’re taking heavy fire but we’re almost there! Standby! Pin the throttle Roach! Keep going!_

It was déjà vu for Roach as he saw the fast approaching edge of the mountain. He was to take the leap of faith and land on the other side. Sometimes he wondered if it was a cruel joke played on him to test his endurance. He pinned the throttle to gain the speed that he needed. He muttered to himself, “We’re not going to make it. It’s too far.”

_We’ll make it._

The blades of the snowmobile left the ground and Roach found himself leaning forward as if it would encourage the thing to stay airborne. It felt like he was weightless as he soared over but he kept his eyes ahead. He was certain he heard MacTavish’s transport nearby but he kept his gaze ahead as gravity did its thing.

The vehicle landed on the other side with a hard jolt and Roach felt it but he was okay. He was still going from the speed he had put on. He pulled back to slow it down.

_There’s the chopper! Let’s go!_

_Bravo Six we have you on visual. Get your asses on board! We’re running on fumes here!_

Roach slowed and managed to come to a stop at the chopper. His limbs felt shaky as he disembarked with MacTavish and they got on board. He held onto the ACS like it was a life line and took a seat. That was definitely another wild ride for him.

_Okay, they got the ACS._

_Roger that. We’re out of here._


	3. Chapter 3

_Latest rumors have a potential terrorist attack on Russian soil. No location given. Scans of surveillance are not making much progress._

“That’s alright Addy. Shepherd has a man going in. Maybe we’ll find him,” Nicolette looked around at the foliage of the Amazon. They weren’t too far from Rio de Janeiro but this was where she was to meet her contact and she didn’t like the fact that they were isolated.

_I know you have confidence S64 but I can also tell when you are apprehensive._

“Any op can do that Addy,” Nicolette replied. She caught sight of a beat up jeep coming down the road. “I’ve got a visual. All set?”

_Everything is as you requested. Good luck._

Nicolette gave a slight smile as she turned and picked up her pack. She looked at Duke who was looking very uncomfortable at having nothing but a pistol hidden. They would probably find it if they were frisked along with her weapons but she didn’t want to give them a reason to think that she was a bigger threat. She said, “Relax, kid.”

Duke shuffled a bit uneasily. It was his first mission since the convoy rescue about six or seven months ago. He was excited to be part of the team to recover the Marines being held prisoner. He was always willing to help a fellow soldier and when it had been requested that he go along, he was ready. He wasn’t ready though for the means to getting them home.

It was not a regular op as he knew it. It was being controlled by CIA since this group of Marines was in charge of protecting and transporting very valuable information. It was related to a minor terrorist but also had intel on the main prize that had plagued the work the last five years… Makarov. Since CIA was controlling the op, it was their way and their rules.

The operative’s name was Jason Harrison and he was the one that was to receive the information. He looked like the romanticized version of the spy with the dark hard, good looks that appeared mysterious. He always wore a pair of sunglasses to add to that look and was a joke but the man knew his stuff and it was evident the way he took charge and practically ordered them to cater to his whim even though it annoyed and pissed off some of them. They made it clear when they groused about it.

Harrison was the one that led the team to track down the one who did the raid of the convoy. When they caught up with him, the target was holed up in a cave. The bastard refused to talk except to hint that the Marines would die for their crimes of materialism. Duke watched as Harrison dragged the target into a room and nearly beat him to death but he still refused to talk. Then they went extreme.

Duke looked at Nicolette and cleared his throat, “Are you sure about this?”

Nicolette looked at Duke. Time had helped but she could tell that he had been shaken by that time in the cave… and her role there. She looked down and her person. She was dressed in khaki pants, light brown t-shirt and a greenish brown over shirt to blend in with the foliage. They were both dressed like they were explorers. She replied, “It’s the mission kid.” She paused a moment and asked, “Are you okay? Being on this?”

Duke sighed and looked down the road. The jeep was getting closer and his nervousness increased at the fact that he was not armed like he usually would be. He replied, “I’m not okay without my gun.” He looked over at Nicolette and noticed her expression. He sighed, “I’m not upset with you and what happened. I just… I just wasn’t ready to see that.”

“Most never are,” Nicolette replied. “I am with military intelligence. I have been sent in the field and have had to be forceful. Some cross over lines.”

“I’m a soldier, ma’am,” Duke countered. “I don’t have a problem pulling the trigger and shooting the enemy. What I saw there… I guess we are capable of a lot of things. Should have learned from the news about Makarov being with Shadow Company and all.”

“No one is ever ready for that,” Nicolette replied as she put a hand on Duke’s shoulder. “The first time I saw it… I puked.”

Duke raised his brow at that. He didn’t think that the lieutenant he had met and grew to respect would ever get that squeamish. True he was surprised that she went in and jumped into the ‘interrogation’ but he saw that she didn’t cross the lines that Harrison did. She was different and in the end she got the location of the Marines and fed it to the extraction team.

There wasn’t much to say anything since the jeep pulled up. Nicolette came out and stood firm as the passenger door opened. “Well, well, well. I never thought I’d see you again Nicky. How’s the life with the military?”

“Good. How’s it being a two timing bitch Lexi?” Nicolette looked at Alexi Yeltsin with the apparent look of disgust mingled with a calm front.

“Ouch,” Alexi replied as she walked to stand toe to toe with Nicolette. She looked at her and gave a cursory inspection. She noticed that there was something different. “Well you look good. How is that cute captain of yours?”

“Nothing I would ever tell you bitch,” Nicolette replied with a warning in her tone. It could have been easily mistaken for lightheartedness if you weren’t as observant. “I never thought to see you in these parts. Your territory is in Africa.”

“And when are you going to learn that in this day in age you have to expand your interests,” Alexi replied. Her tone implied that Nicolette was an ignorant child. She smirked but it was quickly gone when she realized that Nicolette wasn’t behaving as usual. She shifted and looked at her and said, “There’s something different about your Nicky. I can’t put my finger on it but I like it. Still bringing the cute ones though.” She cast a knowing look in the direction of Duke.

“Off limits,” Nicolette replied in a firm voice. She turned the conversation back to the mission at hand and said, “Now what is it that we’re here for? Something about guns?”

Alexi gave a smirk as she eyed Nicolette. She really did like this new Nicky. She was also wary since whereas it was easy to read before, now there was uncertainty. She replied, “Yes. A gun running operation part of a larger one to supply weapons to the guy you’re obsessed with.”

“Makarov is not an obsession,” Nicolette replied with a narrowed look. “So he is planning something.”

“Like I know. The contact with the gun running said it was important and that I had to get you right away. Why you is anyone’s guess but he was insistent.” Alexi shrugged her shoulders like it wasn’t important. “Bad news is that he is in the group so he can’t help you unless…”

“I get the picture. Shut up and get us to the rally point,” Nicolette said as she directed Duke to the rear passenger.

She was stopped by Alexi who grabbed her by the upper arm and said, “I may like the new you but you need to show some respect for my position. You would do well to remember that considering my status as an asset.”

“And you would do well to remember that you are talking to someone who doesn’t give a shit,” Nicolette replied letting her disgust for the woman show. “You’re a necessary evil but that doesn’t mean that all is well. Wouldn’t take much for you to show your true colors.” She pulled her arm away from Alexi and got in.

Alexi felt her lip twitch in slight appreciation. Nicolette had changed and it looked like it may be for the better considering what was to come. She got in the jeep and directed her man to drive to the rally point. She couldn’t help but tease Nicolette about her choice in backup and why she didn’t have the squad with her. The bait wasn’t taken and it was a long and tedious drive.

The rally point was a lookout over a ramshackle dock on the river. It was heavily guarded and orders were being given in Portuguese and the native language of the region as crates were being moved while the armed guards barked in Spanish. It was a wonder there wasn’t any confusion about who was doing what. It would have been an interesting study which Nicolette took into account as she peered through the binoculars from their look out.

“Not bad for an operation. Reminds me of a few of my own,” Alexi murmured with a grin as she lounged on the ground.

“Yeah but they have romance languages. You’re just a bitch,” Nicolette muttered as she peered through to look at the defenses and for any sign of the contact.

She found the gates with a tower and the men there were heavily armed. So this area was really important to the guy running the guns. She spotted the truck that was coming in at the gate and it was let in after the guard barked his demands. She followed it to where the loading docks were and the back of the truck was opened and she watched what they were doing. “Looks like they are loading cargo onto the trucks.”

“They’re part of a larger shipment to Russia,” Alexi replied sounding bored about the whole thing. “They load them onto the trucks and they head to the private airstrip and from there they are shipped off to the buyers or in this case buyer.”

“Far enough away to not attract attention even though the militia in Rio would be loyal,” Nicolette murmured. “Just like Bogota.”

“You and I remember Bogota very differently,” Alexi replied.

“You weren’t even there bitch.” Nicolette finished her observations and looked at the group. “So we drop in, and exfil the contact. Duke I’m gonna need you to come up with a plan B.”

“Roger that,” Duke replied.

“Lexi… Make sure your guys aren’t drunken idiots.”

“We’re Russians Nicky. We hold our liquor better than that.”

****

“Diga-me quem você trabalha!”

The sound of a fist hitting skin was loud as Nicolette crouched behind some crates. She peered around the corner to take a look at the prisoner. She could tell it was male and he was wearing casual wear but his face was covered with a sack. Apparently they thought that whoever it was had turned traitor or maybe… Her mind went to work with possibilities.

_Sir, I’ve got three heading in your direction._

“Copy that,” Nicolette replied as she moved to change positions. She held the rifle that Alexi managed to procure and moved to a vantage point.

They discovered that it was a shipment of arms and munitions to the airstrip along with something else. They couldn’t figure out what until she found the head of the docks ‘interrogating’ his prisoner. She had Duke rig up plan B and Alexi was on standby for exfil.

_They’re almost on top of you._

Nicolette managed to hide just as three guards came in. They started chatting in Portuguese and gesturing angrily. Nicolette wasn’t fluent in the language but she could guess that they were going to have a problem. Well it was her job to make it a big problem but she was better if she did it without too much of an inconvenience in terms of not getting into trouble. But it looked like trouble was going to rule the day.

The guards were getting agitated and one pointed their gun at the prisoner. It looked like they needed to move. Nicolette kept her eye on the scene unfolding, “Duke, we need to go to plan B.”

_Roger that. On your go._

“Do it.”

The guards had lifted their guns and were pointing them at the prisoner. Nicolette brought up hers and prepared to fire. She had to wait for plan B to go off. The explosion that sounded outside the building got their attention. She took the opportunity and fired at the guards and the one who had been beating the crap out of the prisoner. For once she was glad that Alexi was the bitch that she was and supplied them with the guns that they needed.

The guards and the interrogator went down screaming from the bullets tearing through them. The prisoner was tensed up and looked like a statue as she finished shooting. “Looks like they’re onto us kid. Crash and burn.”

_Roger that. Thanks for the early Christmas._

_Now I know the world is ending because of you Nicky._

Nicolette gave a slight smirk as she went down to untie the prisoner. If he knew something about the guns and Makarov then he was worth freeing and getting to fight on their side. She looked at the figure who was staring ahead with his sight impaired by the sack over his head. She gripped it and pulled it off and was surprised by what she saw.

“You sure took your sweet time. I was beginning to think that you wouldn’t get your ass down here.”

Nicolette made a slight face and replied, “Should’ve known that you would get into trouble again Harrison.”

Jason Harrison spat out some blood onto the floor from the cut on his mouth. It was hard to do since he was tied to a chair but he managed to do it. “Everything was going fine until someone convinced Rojas that I was not who I said I was. Six fucking months wasted.”

Nicolette pulled out her knife and began cutting the ropes. “Ain’t that a bitch? And here I am with a death warrant over my head.” She pulled the ropes away so Harrison could get up from his seat. “Guess we’re even.”

“Fuck you, Walker,” Harrison replied as he stood up and rubbed his wrists. They were rubbed raw from the ropes. “At least your contact was good on her word.”

“Lexi doesn’t give a shit Harrison as long as she gets something out of it. It’s why she’s still in business,” Nicolette retorted as she picked up one of the guards guns and handed it over to Harrison. “And she knows the underworld of gunrunning. Better the devil you know Harrison.”

Harrison checked his weapon to lock and load. He then pulled out the spare cartridges and put them in his pockets. There was a cut on his lip and the inside of his mouth as well as a cut to his temple. He looked like he had been in a car wreck; he got off easy. He looked at Nicolette as she looked around, listening to the gunfire outside.

“We don’t have much time.”

“I’m ready, Walker,” Harrison replied. He pulled the chamber lock and the round was ready to go. “We have to stop the shipment at the airstrip.”

“Working on it,” Nicolette said. She tapped her earpiece, “Kid you got the shipment at the docks?”

_Ready to detonate._

_Can I please at least take the stinger for my collection?_

“Just the one,” Nicolette allowed as she moved towards the door. There were guards running around trying to deal with the chaos caused by Duke, Alexi and her guys. It sounded like she was having too much fun shooting her way out. She gave a slight grin at the sight, “Looks like they got things covered.”

“That’s not what we have to worry about,” Harrison replied as he joined her with his gun ready. “We need to get to the airstrip. The whole shipment needs to be brought down.”

Nicolette looked at Harrison and they shared a look. She then said, “Then you tell me what the fuck it is all about. None of that shit you pulled in Iran.”

“Fine.” Harrison gave a nod.

Nicolette narrowed her gaze at him being suspicious at his motives. It was now like a standard procedure with regards to meeting with other agents. “Don’t fuck with me,” she warned. She pushed the door open. “Let’s move out.”

“Don’t worry, Walker. That’s the last thing on my mind,” Harrison muttered.

The scene was chaotic with the gunners dug in amongst the crates and machinery used in the shipping. There were some shots coming from the boat itself. It was trying to take off to head down the river with the guns that had not been unloaded. Harrison pointed out, “The boat is heading towards the secondary. We can’t let it make it to the airstrip.”

Nicolette watched it start down. She looked at the scene and then locked in a new mag of her gun. “Then we commandeer the ship. Kid, mop up and take the road to the airstrip. Stop any trucks… any means necessary.”

_Yes ma’am._

“Good luck.”

_Likewise. Kid out._

Nicolette tapped Harrison and nodded. She stood up and fired a few rounds at the hostiles in their way and started running towards the docks. Harrison was close behind thinking this was the craziest idea he had heard of yet. They were fired upon by the remaining runners dug in. The debris from the docks shot up as they ran past.

Nicolette put an extra spurt into her legs and was thankful of the extra hours she put into hard running and endurance training. Actually she had to thank a certain British Nazi who decided it was payback plus giving her a nice present of a means of working out her gymnast moves. It certainly helped as they reached the end of the docks and she took a running leap onto the boat deck.

There was gunfire immediately as she hit the deck and she rolled behind some crates. The wood splintered from the shots that hit. She returned fire just as Harrison landed beside her and groaned since he hit the deck pretty hard. He grunted, “You are a crazy son of a bitch.”

“You can tell me that after we get this boat.”

The gunfire was thick but Nicolette and Harrison managed to take it over and dump the bodies overboard. Harrison took the helm while Nicolette went through to rig up explosives and check in with her team. When she got back he was smirking at the way she inspected her weapons and packed the mags she had taken from the crates. “Not bad so far Walker. For a desk jockey.”

Nicolette changed her mag and locked and loaded as well as checked her pistol. “Plenty of practice and we all had the same training Harrison.” She put the clip into her M1911A and checked to make sure there was a round in ready to go.

“Maybe but I am reminded of the stories of an operative who was just as crazy as you. Raised havoc in Vietnam with SOG and we had problems with the Russians then,” Harrison countered. He gave a slight grin and looked forward. “You know that I did what I had to do. Otherwise those Marines would have been dead. He would have been dead.”

Nicolette was quiet for a moment as she studied the landscape of the river. She looked at the ripples of the river as they continued upriver. Finally she said, “They were the Devil Dogs. They always have a way out.”

“Now who’s fucking with who?”

Nicolette shot a look at Harrison. She didn’t have time to say a word since they were coming up the bend. “We’re up. Kid, are you there?”

_At the airstrip ma’am. Plan B all set. Waiting for your instructions._

“Good,” Nicolette replied as she looked at Harrison who adjusted the course.  “Good work. ETA three minutes. Tell Lexi that I need exfil. Things might get a little bit dicey.”

_I’d be happy if you did it. I can see why you call her a bitch._

Nicolette gave a slight twitch of her lips. The woman was incorrigible at times and no doubt she made Duke feel uncomfortable but she trusted him to ward her off. She heard it in his tone when he relayed their readiness. “I’m sure you did it just as well. Standby kid.”

_Roger. Standing by._

“Kid is good. You sure you’re not using this as a cushy recruitment assignment? The Company likes it when ‘famous’ agents bring in new blood,” Harrison said as he tensed his muscles and checking to make sure his gun was within reach. “Or do you really like hanging around a bunch of jarheads.”

“I would think you would show some respect for the men and women who stand on that wall that we dare to peek over,” Nicolette replied giving a hard look at Harrison. “You certainly showed it in Iran.”

Harrison nodded and directed the ship. “So you do like our boys and the ones on the other side of the pond as the expression goes.”

“Fuck you very much,” Nicolette replied as she picked up her gun and made to take position. “Stay the course and when the signal is given, you better have your ass in gear.”

“Fine. Good luck, Walker. Just like Mason,” Harrison muttered as he concentrated on getting the boat into position. He gave a slight grin as he watched her leave for her position.

Nicolette looked at the river and sighed. _So this is the literal getting my feet wet._ She prayed that she wasn’t going to become chow for the beasties that might be in there. She jumped in and started swimming towards the shoreline. She made it with no difficultly and was up and making her way on foot towards the airstrip. She moved through the brush trying to get in on the backside.

The airstrip was like an oddity in the middle of the jungle. Yet there were other strips like it across the world. Vietnam had CIA airstrips in the highland mountain regions to land in supplies as well as the clandestine missions that plagued the 60s and 70s. Not much had changed except for technology and as Shepherd had pointed out, there was always a way for power to rear its head. Leaders fell but there was always someone to take their place. They were stuck in that with Makarov now.

It was easy to slip in but not so easy to make it to the initial point. Eventually she made it and was about to move when she felt the muzzle of a gun press against her head and she made a face at that. Still she obeyed as she handed over her rifle and held her hands up. She allowed herself to be marched over to where the leader was waiting and he was looking at her with a smug look. She kept her composure.

“So you are the one who is trying to fuck up my operation,” he said with a heavy accent.

Nicolette narrowed her eyes slightly and gave a coy look. She knew that this was not the plan that MacTavish was under the impression she was doing. Then again some of his missions didn’t exactly go to plan either so they were even on that. This was something that he would do and she was rather pleased that she took a leaf out of his book. She replied, “Only if it fucks with a larger fish.”

“Well your plan has failed. We killed your men so what are you going to do?”

Nicolette had glanced around and started to smile slowly. “Go to Plan B,” she replied, making sure that the radio was cued. She grinned just as the boat came into view and fast.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Translation from Google Translate: Diga-me quem voce trabalha (Tell me who you work for!)- Portugeuese
> 
> All translations are approximate.


	4. Chapter 4

The boat crashed onto the shore and continued to move since it was coming in too fast. The leader was screaming at his men to move. Nicolette took the opportunity to disarm her captors and use their guns against them. She put a bullet where there heart was to be and she was covered by Harrison as he leapt from the marooned boat and onto the ground. More gunfire erupted from where Duke and Alexi and her men were; it was chaotic.

The only one standing was the leader of the group and as far as Nicolette knew, he was just the one that ran things for the boss. She pointed her gun at him and said, “Welcome to contingency.”

In the end the boat and the airstrip were destroyed after nearly being ambushed by more of the runners. The leader was held and tied to a chair in the nearby hangar bay. Harrison was wiping his face but he was still sporting the cuts and the blood had dried and nothing short of a shower was going to get it off. Nicolette was looking at Duke who was watching the whole thing. She walked over and said in a low tone, “You know what we’re gonna do.”

Duke nodded his head, “Yes ma’am. But I am good.” He looked her in the eye. “I can do this.” At the pause he saw in Nicolette, he added, “I… was bothered the first time, but I understand. Some people just need to have a little extra. I can do this.”

Nicolette studied Duke for a moment. She then nodded, “Okay. I do need you to keep guard just in case.”

“Will do,” Duke replied as he pulled up his rifle. He moved to take up position. He paused by Alexi and motioned, “You on guard duty.”

Alexi raised her brow at Duke as he picked up her rifle and shoved it at her. She glanced at Nicolette and said, “Looks like the kid learned something from you eh Nicky?”

“Nope,” Nicolette replied with a shake of her head and grin. “Follow orders for once in your pathetic life Lexi.”

Alexi narrowed her eyes but smiled in acquiescence and nodded. She took her weapon and continued to look at Nicolette. She then said, “Come on kid. Seems like Mommy needs to take care of a few things with Daddy.” She giggled at the look that Nicolette and Duke shot at her. It was entertaining to her.

Nicolette took a breath before turning towards where Harrison was waiting with their prisoner tied fast to a chair. She looked at him and said, “Now you’re going to start talking. Give us what we need and then maybe we might consider merciful options.”

“You think that you can get anything out of me?”

Harrison stepped forward and punched him and said, “This is a major shipment. Who is it going to?” He punched him again. “Where is it going to?”

The prisoner laughed at Harrison and replied, “You know where Harrison. Everyone knows where they are going.” He looked at Nicolette and said, “There is a war coming.”

“What war?” Nicolette narrowed her eyes at the prisoner. She held her gun down ready to bring up if they were attacked out of habit. She bent to be eye level with the prisoner.

“The war is coming. What was once friends becomes enemies. Soon there is nowhere left to run.”

Harrison pushed Nicolette aside and grabbed the prisoner and shook him hard. “Where is the shipment going to?”

“You know who, Harrison.” The prisoner chuckled some more even though he was sporting a fat lip. “You really thought your cover was secure? There was always suspicion on the American who claimed to hate his country. We were just waiting for you to fuck up.”

“This is a fucking waste of time,” Harrison replied.

“Harrison, you know who we have been dealing with. The biggest problem isn’t our friends in the Middle East even though your people like to think that it is so.” The prisoner liked the fact that he caught the attention of his captors. He liked the fact that he caught the woman’s attention. He had underestimated her when she was brought into the compound. There was something about her that he liked. He looked at her, “The war is coming and what you thought were once friends will become your enemies and in the end you will doubt.”

“There is no doubting the truth,” Nicolette replied as she paced looking at the prisoner. “We know that Russia conveniently forgets its friends.” She knew the reasons for it too. She watched the news and she had her contacts in certain areas of government. It was part of her travels while the guys were training or going on ops. Occasionally she would take one of them with her for backup. They never knew the full extent but they trusted her. “The ultranationalists have a funny way of looking at things.”

“This is true but that is not your only problem.”

Harrison came close and leaned in, “Yeah and what is that?”

“Harrison you should know. You were intimate with the highest levels.”

“Bullshit, this is small time!”

Nicolette held off Harrison. It looked like he was going to lose it. They didn’t need him dead. They needed to know where the guns were heading and who was pulling the strings. Yeah they knew the ultimate destination was Russia and into Makarov’s hands. They weren’t idiots and Harrison had been supplying what he had the past few months.

It was only recently that the shipments began to make a change. They had to make their move and it ended up being this. She looked at the prisoner and pulled out a bandana and wound it up. She tied it around the prisoner’s eyes and tied it tight. The prisoner asked, “What do you aim to do? Take me for a long walk?”

Nicolette said nothing but grabbed the back of the chair and started dragging it across the ground. She silently signaled Harrison to follow and continued to drag the chair. She may not look like much but she was strong. Part of it was that she trained on learning to carry dead-weights. She felt her lip twitch when she recalled one time when it was Royce that said that she couldn’t possibly carry someone like Ghost or MacTavish.

She demonstrated with Roach, which really wasn’t much since he was about her height and his weight wasn’t too bad even with all the gear on. She again demonstrated by asking MacTavish and ghost to gear up. She certainly showed them by first carrying MacTavish in a fireman’s carry and then with Ghost in full tactical gear. Later MacTavish teased her and asked if she had broken any fingers with that. She had always been able to do things when the occasion called for it and often surprised herself with what she did.

“So you’re going to not tell me? That is a very dangerous game you play.”

“The only dangerous game is one where you have the lines erased in the sand,” she said.

“Not for you. You’re different. Even Harrison here wouldn’t be able to say that and stand tall.”

Nicolette continued to drag the chair out. With sudden force she pushed it to the ground and let it crack. She watched the prisoner cry out in pain from the jolt since he was tied down. She went over to grab a length of chain and dragged it across the ground so it could be heard and started tying it to the back of the chair.

“Is this what you have planned? Murder?”

Nicolette tossed the other end to Harrison who made a show of it tying the end to a truck. She kneeled by the prisoner and said, “It isn’t murder if you are still alive at the end of this. Now, tell me who is in charge of this operation?”

The prisoner looked at her even though he was blindfolded. He grimaced a grin and replied, “And what are you going to do if I don’t tell you? Cut off a finger? Strangle me?”

Nicolette ran her finger along the edge of the blindfold like she was going to take it off but she didn’t. She made sure that her finger touched his cheek. She then checked the chain and replied, “No. I have something more in mind.” She looked at Harrison and nodded.

The sound of an engine starting had the prisoner wonder what she was up to. He taunted her about shock therapy. She said, “Nothing like that.” She tugged on the chain and managed to pull the chair a little.

The prisoner got the hint of what was going to happen. He started laughing nervously and said, “Is drawn and quartered a new one?”

“That would imply death. I simply want you alive and in pain for the rest of your life,” Nicolette replied with a coy and taunting tone. “You see the road through the jungle is not like a paved street and it is maybe a couple of hours to the village and from there a few more to Rio…” She left it hanging in the air.

“You wouldn’t dare. You need me.”

“Not really. I know that the shipment is eventually bound for Makarov in Russia.” Nicolette looked at Harrison as he stood by the truck’s open door. “But I would like more info on why he wants so many guns… who the supplier is and what the word it.”

“And you think that I would tell it to you?”

“Oh you will,” Nicolette replied as she leaned close and whispered in the prisoner’s ear. “You see, I usually get something out of every exchange.”

“No. You wouldn’t.”

Nicolette gave a signal and she had Harrison start the truck. He then shifted gears and started pulling the chain. He only stopped when he felt the resistance and the slight movement. She looked at the prisoner who started to scream for her to stop. She signaled and Harrison stopped. She said, “I’ll stop but you know the price for it.”

“I can’t. He’ll kill me.”

“You’re dead anyway so what the fuck does it matter?” Nicolette continued to kneel by the prisoner. She brushed the hair in a sort of consoling manner. “Just tell me and maybe you get a chance to make a run for it.”

The prisoner was trembling, “I can’t.”

“Okay then.”

The engine started up and Harrison switched it into gear. The prisoner screamed for her to stop and that he would tell her. Nicolette signaled Harrison to kill the engine. She righted the chair up and not too gently. She put her hand on the prisoner’s shoulder, “Now tell me about the shipment. Who is your boss?”

“Alejandro Rojas… Alex the Red,” the prisoner replied trembling. “He supplies the guns… has been for…”

“For what?” Nicolette got close to the prisoner’s ear. Her hand jiggled the chain as she jiggled the chair like she was going to tip it over again. She felt him tremble and asked, “For what?”

“Something big… I don’t know. All I know is that the war is coming. This is only a small piece but the war is coming.” He started babbling in Portuguese and Spanish. He jerked against his bonds. “The war is coming and they will start it.”

“You’re right that a war is coming,” Nicolette whispered, “But I’m here to stop it.”

With a deft movement she knocked the chair over. The wood splintered as Harrison turned the engine on. Nicolette took out her pistol and checked the clip. She pointed the gun at the head of the prisoner and looked at Harrison. She gave a nod and he responded with one. She looked down and fired and watched the bullet hit close near the head of the prisoner. She gave a slight smile and said, “Well there’s your info Harrison.”

****

_I thought it was simple intel gathering._

“And I thought it was a simple pickup and delivery.” Nicolette gave a slight smile as she spoke into the burner phone she used when she went on missions. She gave one to MacTavish and he always kept it on him. He didn’t question her reasons but accepted it. It bothered her on some level but he had told her early on in their relationship that he knew there were some things she couldn’t tell and he understood that. If he had to ask, he would but he trusted her. It said a lot. “You know I could go on and on.”

_And I can’t bloody win with you._

 “You try.”

_And I succeeded. I won your heart._

Nicolette chuckled at that. She teased him, “And I bet you regretted it the moment I beat your ass.” She heard him growl playfully at her. “And I love you too.”

_Nico, you bloody Yank._

“My cute ugly Scottish bastard.” Nicolette glanced over at the campfire where Harrison, Alexi and Duke were sitting with the village leader of the native tribe of that area. She heard MacTavish on the other end and it sounded like they were in the middle of something. “Are you reporting in with the module?”

_Handed it over not too long ago._

“Any signs of tampering or downloading?”

_Not at first glance and Roach couldn’t really sit and do a diagnostic. You’re the brains for that._

Nicolette hummed at that. Everyone in the 141 knew about her handiness with computers and tech downloads. They pretty much had been the subject of certain things in between the missions and training. “I didn’t expect him to do that but any sign of tampering would be evident. You said there was only the one guard inside?”

_I don’t think they expected us but I see what you’re getting at. Even Roach pointed out that the ACS module is information and that kind of thing is valuable._

“That’s what I’m afraid of. Look my info here points to something big going on in Russia. That was what the guns were for.”

_Maybe it has something to do with that new bloke Allen._

Nicolette narrowed her eyes at that. “PFC Joseph Allen?”

_Aye. You know anything about that?_

“Part of an ID package. Remember?”

_I remember. You created the ID and everything. You even had me take a look at it to see if it looked good. Shepherd wanted him to get close to Makarov and he said that he had someone pull the strings to get Allen in._

“That was me. The ID is solid… Can’t control what goes on after that.”

_Nico, don’t fall into that hole. You know that this job is a risk._

“I know,” Nicolette replied drawing comfort from MacTavish’s reassurance. She closed her eyes and took a breath. “I wish I was there with you now.” She leaned against the tree she was standing next to. “It’s no fun slinging through the mud.”

_Now mud is definitely an idea. We might try that._

“Troglodyte.” Nicolette smiled as she leaned against the tree. He liked to tease her with various ideas.

_I wish I had a good one to sling back but Muppet will have to do. I miss you too, love. You think you have it bad? I have to sleep with a draft tonight and Roach’s snoring for company. Sometimes I think you’re punishing me._

“Never,” Nicolette murmured with a smile. “Just remember Hereford and the good times we had there.”

_Aye. I’ll have to arrange leave so we could go back so I could take you to bed for a week._

“I’ll hold you to that,” Nicolette replied. She heard a shout and looked to see Harrison beckoning her over. “Listen, I have to go now. We found some information about the guns but you know me… I like to be sure.”

_I understand. Hope I’m in your dreams tonight._

“Always. I love you.”

_I love you. Stay frosty._

Nicolette heard the beep of being disconnected. She was relieved that MacTavish was okay. It wasn’t an official rule but she sort of started it when she had to go on a mission for information and in the middle of Afghan in the heart of Taliban territory. He had been worried for her since she was going alone to meet up with David. She called the moment the mission was over and he sounded relived. She made up for it when she got home but that call started something they did now when they weren’t together on missions.

She turned to head back to the group. It was a casual discussion about the success of the mission and how Harrison was still in one piece. They went to bed to get a night’s sleep under the hospitality of the natives. Nicolette ended up scooting to the side she usually occupied when she and MacTavish slept together and couldn’t help but think about their time at Hereford and she smiled before going to sleep.

The morning had Nicolette up early and looking at her laptop and at the latest that was going on in the world. She scrolled through the local news quickly and made a comment about the problems the fashion world was getting before getting to the politics. She had been following the state of politics of the Russian government ever since the ultranationalists gained the foothold they needed. She reached out to people she had met when she first started at the company and tracked them through their careers and rekindled the relationships. The FSO was her biggest thing but also the one she was most careful with.

“What has you up so early, Walker?”

Nicolette motioned for Harrison to be quiet while she adjusted the ear bud in her ear and cued in the newscast report. Her eyes widened as she saw the images of Zakhaev International. She immediately began tapping her keys and bringing up other windows until she got the security feed. She watched as Makarov waltzed through the airport killing everyone there. Actually Makarov wasn’t full view on the cameras; the bastard was that good.

The report was in Russian and she translated it into English and pulled the buds out so Harrison could hear. They both stared at the screen while the report was made. Harrison was the first to speak, “This is serious shit, Walker. Since it is one of ours, the Russians are going to blame us.”

“Nothing new Harrison,” Nicolette replied as she digested the fact that Allen was dead. She was trying to figure out what she did wrong since the ID was air tight. The only thing that she could think of was that it was compromised after it left her hands. “The Russians forgot the help we gave them by doctoring the story of the frigate in the Bering Sea, the missile launches… just like we forget a few things. A dangerous game we play Harrison.”

“Yeah but we don’t go shooting up an airport of civilians and blame it on the Russians. Who fucking blew our man’s cover?”

“That is the question,” Nicolette replied as she typed into her laptop. She got a window popping up and read what it said. She said, “Harrison, we need to arrange exfil for the kid and Lexi.”

Harrison looked at his watch and confirmed, “Copy that. Walker, what the fuck is going on here?”

“War is coming Harrison.” Nicolette shrugged her shoulder as she scanned the security footage and relayed data for Addy’s purview. She looked at her colleague, “This is the thing to start a war and what our prisoner was talking about.”

Harrison studied the screen of her computer and checked his watch. “I can get the kid and the bitch to outside of Rio for exfil within twenty. I’ll go tell them to pack.”

“Go easy on the kid,” Nicolette warned. “He still doesn’t like you.”

“And I’m surprised he still likes you,” Harrison shot back.

“I know how to make friends.”

About twenty minutes later, Duke reluctantly left Nicolette behind to head to Rio along with Alexi and her guys. He wasn’t looking forward to the trip but they were inclined to respect his space. Even Alexi was polite to him and left him alone. He suspected that it was because Nicolette left behind some ‘friendly’ persuasion. Still he left after she promised that it would be okay.

Nicolette and Harrison found themselves heading down a road in the general direction of Rio. However they ended up near some ruins that had been missed by the eager archaeologists and had Nicolette looking at them. It was the coordinates that they both had been sent and they followed them. She was used to it but she could tell that Harrison wasn’t used to this kind of thing and was a little bit impatient. She said, “It’ll be fine.”

“It won’t be fine, Walker. What the fuck is going on here?”

“It is part of the meeting. Patience.”

Harrison made a scoffing noise and crossed his arms over his chest. He looked at her and noticed her calm demeanor. She wasn’t impatient or anything but she was studying the ruins. He asked, “How do you know that whoever it is will show. Makes it all seem like a trap like what Mason got into.”

“That’s the second time you mentioned that,” Nicolette replied as she turned to look at Harrison. She looked at him with a narrowed look and asked, “Why are you comparing me to someone who was an operative during ‘Nam?”

“You do things very similar and can be nuts when it comes to missions… like this one,” Harrison admitted. He watched her expression and added, “Before this I read the histories of various agents for some history project since the old ops were being brought up again.”

“And what does it have to do with me?”

“Because he did the analysis on Mason and you,” a voice entered. From the shadows of a doorway to a temple emerged its owner. He continued, “A happy coincidence which is understandable and a few deliberate coincidences.”

Nicolette looked at the owner of a voice and gave a slight look. This was twice now in all of her career in the field since she was told to go out. She said, “And I suppose this one is deliberate considering the shit that just happened in Moscow… Jensen.”


	5. Chapter 5

It certainly put the old spy movies to shame and brought them to life looking at the undercover outpost. Nicolette looked at it with a bland eye, taking in the impressive look without looking like a gaping fool. She looked at her handler Jensen as he looked at the wall of computer screens and monitors. Currently they were surveying the data feed from what happened at Zakhaev International. It seemed that was on everyone’s radar now.

Harrison was being looked at and kept company. It felt strange that he wasn’t there and Nicolette wondered if it was that she was just somewhat used to it or she felt the need for security at having a partner there she sort of trusted to trusted based on her spectrum. Habitually she looked around for potential exits just in case something went wrong.

“It seems that you’ve become more paranoid in some cases and in others less.”

Nicolette looked at Jensen and replied, “I never liked being hauled into a safe house. Hamburg I made an exception along with my place at Hereford.”

“And from all reports you and the AI have been successful just at S47 is successful with his K9 unit,” Jensen replied still staring at the screens. His hands were behind his back as he took in the moment that he was once again in the same room with his favorite agent. “It was something that was developed to help our agents in the field and based upon areas of expertise.”

“Then you may have made a happy accident with David since he had medical expertise,” Nicolette replied not at all impressed. She crossed her arms over her chest and looked at Jensen’s back and asked, “I am assuming that you had us both come here because of Zakhaev International?”

“You are partially right,” Jensen admitted. He slightly glanced back but then returned to looking at the screens. “The incident at Moscow is part of your larger assignment. It seems that the shipment you disrupted was going to Makarov but for something else.”

“Seems evident now,” Nicolette allowed. “At least we know who was dealing them. We hit the money and the manpower as well as figured out that he had an interest with biohazards and it slowed him down.”

“But we still don’t have him.” Jensen looked down but the position of his head indicated that he was looking straight at the screens.

“And we’ll get him. With this he started a war. The Russians are going to blame this on the Americans and try to retaliate,” Nicolette pointed out and gestured to one of the monitors.

“And what of your own wellbeing?”

“Hardly relevant… but my cover is intact.”

Jensen said nothing but tapped the keyboard in front of him. On the screens came the images from Iran and the convoy mission. He was quiet until he asked, “Did you know?”

Nicolette looked at the images as she walked to stand beside Jensen. “No.”

“And if you did, would you have acted the same?” Jensen pulled up the feed that showed her interrogating the prisoner.

Nicolette studied the image. Harrison had done the initial questioning. He had a good punch. She went to work on the mind. She watched herself as she told the prisoner that he would be disgraced since he was already in the presence of a woman, an infidel. She said a lot of things and in the end had him thinking that he was going to hell for his sins. She didn’t know it was his unit then. “Yes,” she finally said.

She would have done the same. No matter who it was. She looked at Jensen’s profile and said, “You know my psych profile Jensen. You know everything there is to know about me. You know that I will do what I have to for anyone under my charge. I don’t even have to know them. Something about a superhero complex according to the shrinks.”

Jensen chuckled when he heard the recitation of the eval that he had when he first recruited her from her desk in Langley. “What do the damn shrinks know?”

“You tell me, sir,” Nicolette replied. She blinked and glanced at the screens again. “You taught me to expand on that… do what I had to do and be who I was.”

“And you did that.” Jensen paused a moment as if to debate on what to say to her. He took a breath and continued, “It was predicted that you would take the course of action you have and succeed in any assignment given to you.”

Nicolette frowned at Jensen, “Predicted?” She gave a slight shake of her head as she tried to make sense of it.

“Understand that Shadow Protocol agents were selected on a set of protocols that are not typically used in selection criteria. Yes we utilized the usual criteria but all the agents selected and approached have one thing in common; you all have an unexplainable factor that enables you to succeed where others haven’t.”

“Why are you telling me this?”

“Perhaps it is time for you to know why you were selected,” Jensen allowed. He adjusted his shoulders and continued, “I believe you when you said that your actions would be the same no matter who it was in that situation as the Devil Dogs. You are objective even when you have personal feelings at stake but you don’t let it rule you.”

“You make it sound like I’m not human.”

“But you are. You helped a friend instead of reporting into the Company for a year.”

Nicolette grew silent. She looked at the man and sighed. “So Addy is a part of this…”

“You conceived of the AI back when you were in school. We merely worked on it.”

Nicolette snorted. Of course she remembered that conversation when she was last in Hamburg with MacTavish. That had been a sort of date when he took her out after getting Addy. “Nothing gets by you Jensen. No wonder SP001 chose you to boss me around,” she said in a joking tone. She sighed and then asked, “So why did you call me here? I heard about Zakhaev International.”

The feed changed to show the security monitors. She could make out PFC Joseph Allen tailing Makarov. Jensen said, “You haven’t seen this.” He tapped some keys and the initial feeds came on. He continued, “Allen, CIA operative was found dead at the scene. Apparently it was revealed that he was an American.”

“That is impossible. The cover was perfect.”

Jensen looked at Nicolette and her intense look she gave the screen. He said, “Yet it was blown or it was known the entire time.”

“The only way that could happen is if someone…” Nicolette shook her head. She saw Jensen looking at her and frowned at the expression. She realized something and asked, “You don’t think I purposely put an operative in danger do you?”

“I know you wouldn’t. That’s not how you work,” Jensen replied. He turned to face Nicolette and then said, “You remember your other objective when you were placed in your current assignment.”

Nicolette looked away and recalled that conversation. She then looked at Jensen. “This is why you wanted me to keep an eye on command.”

“Surely you must have noticed a few things?”

“I was uncomfortable with a few of his requests especially concerning the Black Fox. Do you think he is up to something?”

Jensen looked at her. He didn’t say anything at first but studied her as she thought about things. He nodded at her to encourage her to think more. “You are the analyst doing fieldwork S64. You would know what to look for.”

Nicolette nodded and looked at the screens. It had been frozen on the images of the airport. She studied the images with a critical eye. She had sensed that there was something up. She did give Makarov credit to figure things out. He wasn’t stupid and he did manage to fund his campaign by not going through the larger dealers; he used the smaller ones and if they failed him… well she knew that and they had three of them.

“I know it is hard to take and believe me with the position that Shepherd is in, it would be difficult without hard evidence.”

Nicolette shook her head, “And if I came at him with the original that I have backed up… there is the possibility that he could turn it on me but…”

“You think there is something else planned for you?”

“It seems like there is,” Nicolette mused. She rubbed her chin as she thought about it. “I mean he always emphasized my ability to use the legend of the Black Fox to piss Makarov off.” She was uneasy enough and this was going to make her overly paranoid. She didn’t have to voice it but MacTavish was worried enough about what she said and didn’t say. She wasn’t stupid and he was willing to do it because he loved her. This wasn’t fair to him but even if she said anything it would make him determined.

“What are you going to do?”

“Right now follow the guns. The shipment is controlled by one Alejandro Rojas. I’m going to Rio.” Nicolette looked at Jensen and added, “I’ll keep it in mind but right now… this is serious. The Russians will blame the US for this and there will be war.”

Jensen nodded, “Then go.”

Nicolette turned to go. She paused at the door and looked at Jensen and asked, “By the way, what’s up with Harrison apart from comparing me to a CIA operative from the ‘Nam era?”

“Consider him a new operative in SP,” Jensen replied with a slight grin and raised brow.

Nicolette nodded and gave a slight grin, “He’s good. Needs a little work. You should send him to my training officer at the farm.”

Jensen still raised his brow at her and replied, “I might consider it. Good luck S64.” He watched as she left. Then he whispered, “Good luck… Nicky.”

In the meantime Nicolette left the ruins to find that a transport was secured for her to take her to Rio. The driver motioned that she was to get in. She got in and endured the ride to Rio where she was dropped off in one of the neighborhoods per her request. She could find her way. She waited until the driver was gone before she tapped into her earpiece, “Are you on Addy?”

_You know I am. Triangulating signal._

“I’m in Rio de Janeiro, Addy,” Nicolette replied with a knowing smile. “I need…” She looked and saw that someone was looking at her. She turned and started walking through the streets of the city. “I need you to get me information for Nikolai. I’m going to need a ride out.”

_Captain MacTavish is in Rio._

“Really?” Nicolette looked around and rounded a corner.

_I can send the GPS coordinates. Shall I contact him?_

“No. Just send me the coordinates and I’ll hook up.” Nicolette finished her transmission and pressed against the wall. She pulled out her pistol and held it ready to shoot. It was risky since she noticed a few peculiarities about this part of town but she had a feeling. She waited until her tail came around the corner and she grabbed him and slammed him against the wall.

He resisted and gave her an elbow into her middle but she preserved. She grabbed him and slammed him back into the wall and he fell to the ground. She pointed her gun at him and said, “Alright. I’ve had enough. Who the hell are you and what the fuck do you want?”

The guy had his hands raised to indicate he wasn’t going to do anything. “I just need some information,” he said. “I thought that maybe you could help me.”

Nicolette held her gun pointed at her tail. He was young but maybe a few years on her. Even though he was wearing clothes that looked baggy from the heat, she could tell that he was well fit. His dark hair helped him to blend in along with the stubble showing on his face… at least what she could see when he turned slightly to see her. “Stand up and turn slowly and tell me who you are,” she said still holding her gun on him.

Her tail followed her instructions. When he was fully facing her he said, “I just need some information.”

Nicolette looked at him. She debated and went with her gut. She lowered her gun slightly, “Who are you?”

****

“The Russians aren’t going to let this go unanswered. It’s gonna get bloody,” Ghost was saying as he viewed the reports.

MacTavish could agree with that. “Too right mate. Now in the eyes of the world, they’re the victims.” He shook his head at that. He knew that Nicolette would be keeping an eye on things on her side of the world and no doubt she would have seen the news and probably started making phone calls. She would want to know what went wrong. “No one’s gonna say a word when the Russians club every American they can reach.”

“Makarov was one move ahead. Now he’s left thousands of bodies at the feet of an American.” Shepherd looked at the screen with the incoming data with a sort of impassive look. He sounded almost weary but it hid what he was truly feeling and that was the desire to hunt down Makarov.

MacTavish looked at the data that was on the screen. It was the schematics of a high caliber round. “We’re the only ones who knew it was Makarov’s op. Our credibility died with Allen.” _And it ruined hers since she made the ID._ “We need proof.”

Ghost looked at the images and said nothing more at the moment. His thoughts were on his mate Ryan and where she was at. He knew she was following Russian politics like some people followed football and rugby. She knew what was going on and she had always seemed preoccupied by it. He never said it since it would make it seem like she was obsessed with hunting down Makarov; they all were. As far as he was concerned, the man was dangerous. His concern was that his friend had been sent out on ops for something else… like private errands for Shepherd. This time she was after gunrunners and intel from an asset. He didn’t like it but like MacTavish he bore with it.

“Follow the shell,” Shepherd said as he brought up the latest info from his prize lieutenant and other sources. “Alejandro Rojas.”

“Never heard of him, sir,” MacTavish replied.

“You know him as Alex the Red,” Shepherd clarified. “He supplied the assault.”

MacTavish nodded at that. No doubt his Nico was down there already and questioning things. More likely she already did with her mission down in the Amazon. She couldn’t say where exactly but the Amazon was a pretty big place. “One bullet to unleash the fury of a nation. Which means…”

“He’s our ticket to Makarov,” Shepherd said.

It wasn’t unlike the other associates they had gone after previously. MacTavish saw that Nicolette was right in that Makarov was clever enough to utilize resources that most wouldn’t look twice at. Once she had put it that they would chase the leads where none existed. It was an interesting way of looking at things and in actuality that was what they did even though he didn’t quite see the mission where she almost died from her injuries like that.

That had him scared. He thought that he was going to lose her before he told her that he loved her. Thinking about it now… it had hurt in the way it was handled but it ended up working out for the best. Now it looked like they were on the same trail since he recalled her mentioning the name the moment Shepherd did. He just didn’t say anything since they were not letting their relationship be known.

Now they were in Rio de Janeiro and looking for the guy that was the right hand man to Rojas. MacTavish looked around the city and mentally compared it to looking for a needle in a haystack. It was a matter of finding the people that knew their man and if the money was good to get the information. It was a bit much to hope that it would be easy. The upside was that when they were working on locating the right hand man, they came across Duke.

The kid had been in Rio since that morning and was supposed to call in exfil. MacTavish asked him, “And Ryan?”

“Orders to pull ahead, sir. CIA was with us,” Duke replied. “It was Harrison.”

MacTavish remembered Harrison well. He didn’t like that he encouraged his Nico to step beyond boundaries to get what they wanted. It did work out and he met the famous captain of the Devil Dogs, Captain Kyle ‘Santana’ Walker, but he knew that she was not cruel even though she was capable of committing mass killing. “Know what it was about?”

“Stopping the gun shipment from reaching Russia,” Duke filled him in. “Turns out that the main runner is Alejandro Rojas.”

“We know. We followed the bullet, mate.”

Duke looked at MacTavish and nodded. They were on the same page. “Then you’ll be wanting to look for Carlos Santiago. He’s Rojas’ assistant. The guy at the airstrip and docks is further down the chain.”

 “How did you get that kid?” Ghost looked at Duke with an inquisitive look.

“I’ve been here since this morning. Not hard if you know how to listen.” Duke gave a slight smile at Ghost. “I thought Ryan showed you that one.”

MacTavish gave a slight chuckle at that. Even though Duke was with Shadow Company, he had been on missions with the 141 enough to be considered one of them. He did like the fact that Nicolette had gone with him. “Alright, kid. Any idea where we could find him?”

Duke glanced at Ghost and MacTavish and gave a slight shrug and said, “I don’t know Spanish but the Portuguese is like reading a book. The favela is the best bet from all accounts but Santiago moves around the city. Gotta map?”

Ghost pulled out a map and Duke marked the area, “Santiago tends to stay in this area even though Rojas does business throughout the city. Last I saw Santiago was when I was at the Rio Café. It is a white van that we’re looking for and last he was spotted in this neighborhood.” He pointed on the map where to start looking.

It was roughly thirty minutes later that found MacTavish in a jeep with Roach and Duke being driven by one of the 141. They managed to find the van and MacTavish ran the plates. When Duke nodded, he said, “Ghost, the plates are a match.”

_Copy. Any sign of Rojas?_

“Negative. They’ve stopped twice already and no sign of him,” MacTavish replied.

“Highly unlikely,” Duke added. “Santiago is the one that takes care of most of the operations. No reason for Rojas to make an appearance unless necessary.”

“Sounds like the Godfather,” Roach muttered as he looked around.

The van ahead stopped and MacTavish relayed, “Wait, they’ve stopped again. Standby.” He peered over the backs of the seat to get a good look. “Got a positive ID. Whoever these guys are, they’re not happy to see him…”

It was sudden when Santiago pulled a gun and shot the two that came to see him. MacTavish relayed to Ghost that they had a situation as they watched more men getting gunned down. It was Roach who shouted, “Get down!”

The sounds of glass shattering and the rapid pops of the gun indicated clearly what was going on. Roach crouched down in the front as best as he could while the bullets were flying and felt the wet spray on his face. He glanced over and saw that their driver was down hunched over the wheel and the horn was blaring. It was automatic to pull the handle and he pushed himself out backwards and fell rear first onto the pavement.

“He’s getting away! Roach, let’s go! Let’s go!”

Roach rolled to his feet and was up and following MacTavish through the streets. He was closely followed by Duke as they went after Santiago. They couldn’t let him get away since he was the link to Rojas.

MacTavish had the man in his sights and was giving chase much like he would if it were Nicolette making him work for something. “Ghost, our driver’s dead! We’re on foot. Meet us at the Hotel Rio and cut him off if you can!” He swerved to avoid a civilian that jumped in his way trying to get out of the way and hopped to stay on pace.

_Roger I’m on my way!_

Roach was a few paces behind MacTavish and swerved to avoid civilians as they ran away from Santiago. It seemed that the people knew who he was and were both in awe and afraid. That was usually the case when it came to the major players like gunrunners and drug dealers. Bogota came to mind when he accompanied Nicolette to grab intel on Montero’s salvaged operations in order to take it down. That guy was a nasty piece of work since the people working for him hated him but were scared about making a stand.

They rounded the corner and linked up with Ghost and charged together down the street. Ghost was the first to spot Santiago, “He went into the alley!”

Roach put an extra spurt into his legs and passed MacTavish to catch him. He had his rifle up and Duke was following him. MacTavish reminded them, “Non-lethal takedowns only! We need him alive!”

“Solid copy,” Roach replied as he made a beeline for Santiago. The alleyways were like a maze but not unfamiliar. Pit maneuvers were similar. Roach pivoted off some debris as he made his turn to the left and spotted Santiago.

“Roach, take the shot! Go for his leg!”

It was an easy shot. Roach aimed down his sights and had a round squeezed off before Santiago got it in his head to turn around and fire. It was a good shot and he was down but still alive. “Got him. He’s down.”

The ground converged on Santiago with their guns drawn to clear the scene. Roach kicked the gun Santiago was using away and Duke had the guy covered in a nonlethal position but it was guaranteed to make the guy think twice about resisting. Ghost went in and secured the prisoner and hauled him to his feet and they moved to their version of the ‘box.’

“Roach, this is going to take some time. Go with Meat and Royce, take the kid and check out the favela for any sign of Rojas. That’s where this guy was headed.”

Roach looked at the implication and nodded, “Copy. Kid move out.”


	6. Chapter 6

There was a joke that Nicolette liked to tease MacTavish with when they first got together and would occasionally bring up; she was the best girlfriend to have because she traveled a lot. It was in reference to the fact that she was a spy and had been all around. As a spy she did travel and she always ended up meeting interesting people; that was pretty much a guarantee. It was an exciting life even though it could be a paranoid one when you had to go undercover. Even when you were not undercover you always had that nagging thought that someone from the past would catch up to you and it was either a good thing or a bad thing with the bad thing resulting in possible death.

Nicolette was relying on her instinct when she viewed the man sitting across from her looking at her with a calm and quiet determination to get answers. He did look youngish to her and was well fit; his physique indicated that he may be a soldier and that wasn’t because she was involved with one. The expression he wore seemed familiar to her and he didn’t indicate a threat even though he had the potential to be one.

“Are you going to kill me?”

Nicolette looked at him and asked, “What makes you think that?”

“Thought all spies killed people they don’t know.” It was a rough joke and humorless but it conveyed the point he was trying to make.

“I am trying to ascertain if you are a threat and so far you haven’t given a reason,” Nicolette allowed. She took a sip of the drink she had ordered which was nothing more than an iced tea. “I am still waiting to hear the name though. All you gave me was that you were looking for information.”

The man paused a moment and thought about what he was going to say. Finally he looked at her and said, “The name is Section.”

Nicolette nodded and replied, “Alright. You can call me Ryan.” At the look he was giving her she explained, “I know a call sign when I see one and since you are setting the ground rules, I am showing good faith.” She made a slight movement of her head and asked, “Seem fair to you?”

Section looked at her and took in her expression. He hadn’t expected her to be like this. He expected her ambushing him and he had deliberately set it up so she did see him. He was curious about her. He nodded, “Fine.”

Nicolette gave a smile that was friendly instead of polite. She had seen the way he was assessing the situation and was impressed. He had discipline and no doubt good at his job for the military. She nodded and said, “Okay. So we’re on a call sign basis.”

“How did you know it was a call sign?”

Nicolette’s lip twitched at that and she replied, “I’ve been around military most of my career in the field. You’d be surprised at the names boys come up with for each other. I just happened to be named after a character in fiction.”

“Jack Ryan,” Section replied with a slight smile.

“Very good,” Nicolette replied with a nod. She put her hands on the table and asked, “So you want information. What makes you think that I have any that is useful to you? Better yet, what do you want?”

Section decided to be direct. It seemed like the best way to go with this woman. He replied, “I want you to find out about my dad.”

“Sounds like something for a PI.”

“I want to know what you know about Alex Mason.” Section clarified it with a firm expression on his face.

That was the second or third time someone associated her with an agent that was before her time. Nicolette wondered if the world was fucking with her or it was a coincidence that could be characterized as a happy accident. Either way it was damned annoying and creepy on some level. She looked at Section and replied, “What makes you think that I know this man?”

It was the moment of truth for Section. He pulled out the data pad that he had and opened up the file that he had found along with others. It was a bunch of stills taken from active feed during a mission op. “Operation Clean Sweep in Bogota, Columbia. Special directive to wipe out what was left of Montero’s operation. Joint task force with 141 and JSOC.”

Nicolette looked at the stills. She could see herself and Roach together. It was one that only she and he were available since he had recovered from a minor injury during routine training and she was on site for something Shepherd wanted. It was the op that had MacTavish anxious since they were in the heart of drug cartel country and the country wasn’t overly fond of Americans at the moment especially since JSOC was involved. They were breaching the main house looking for their man Puentes. She looked at them and then at Section and asked, “What about it?”

Section looked at her. She wasn’t being deliberately stupid and she may not know what he was looking for. It was like her reputation. He then said, “You made contact with someone we have been tracking for a long time.”

“When you say ‘we’ you really mean you,” Nicolette replied with a slight shake of her head. At his expression she continued, “Let me guess, you’re with JSOC and tracking down this guy that was probably one of the dozens that was shooting at me and my best mate along with your guys. And he has ties to your father.” She gave a dry chuckled and sighed, “Sounds like my usual.”

“The man I am after yes. He is a dangerous man.”

“Every single one of them is. If it isn’t our current problem with the fact that Russia is pissed off with the US, then it is something else. Things may change in the details but it is still the same.” She looked at Section with a slightly sad look. “That’s one of the things about this job that gets you kind of jaded.”

“And how long have you been at it?”

“You don’t want to know the answer to that.” Nicolette studied the look Section was giving her. She clicked her tongue on her teeth and leaned forward to rest her elbows on the table. She continued, “What makes you think I would know anything about your father?”

The silence had been slightly unnerving and Section half expected her to get up and leave. She didn’t though and he took it as a sign that maybe… He looked at the data pad and turned it back so he could access it. He paused a moment and then turned it so she could see it. “Because of this.”

Nicolette took the pad and looked at the video she was viewing. She really had to hand it to the JSOC boys with their k-pot mounted cameras. It was the same mission and she remembered it. She was taking a room and was covered by a JSOC boy. Roach was somewhere else. She had been ambushed and her reaction was hand to hand and she let the hostile have it. She replied, “Bastard tried to grab my gun and I let him have it.”

“It’s how you did it.”

Nicolette looked at Section. Things were just getting weirder and weirder and she was supposed to be hooking up with the 141 since she got word that they had arrived in Rio and were looking for some guy named Santiago. She shrugged her shoulders and asked, “What about it?”

Section enlarged the video to focus on her and replayed it. He also played a video that he had found and had them play side by side. “This,” he said tapping the screen.

Nicolette watched the videos playing side by side. It was like watching an almost synced pair in combat. The only difference was that one was older and grainy. Plus the subject was a male. The other was her. She studied the video and then looked at the corners that gave dates and coding. She was familiar with op feeds and knew what to look for. When she read it she felt her eye twitch slightly as it raised a fraction. She studied it more and then looked at Section and asked, “Are you working with Harrison?”

“Who the fuck is that?”

Nicolette eyed him suspiciously as she watched the videos again. “You’re not the first one to compare me to Mason. I don’t even know who he is.”

“You must know because of that.”

“And it could be easy to fake or someone who knew the guy taught me,” Nicolette pointed out. She wasn’t sure she liked where this was going.

“Impossible because… my dad taught me.” Section pulled up a training video and put all three side by side. “It is very hard to fake that.”

Nicolette looked at everything. She was the analyst… well was. Now she was a field agent still doing the research projects. She knew how to examine evidence. This was just plain freaky. She asked, “You think that I may have met your dad?”

“I know it’s a long shot but he wouldn’t have taught those moves to just anyone,” Section replied. He looked down and tapped the table with his fingers for a moment. “I know that he died when I was ten and this is more like a ghost story but I just want to…”

“We all want answers to something that eludes us,” Nicolette interrupted gently. She studied the man and nodded. “Do you really want to dig?”

“Uncle Woods said to leave it alone but… I guess I’m not big on coincidences,” Section replied as he looked up at her. “And maybe because it was CIA that forced my dad’s hand…” He shrugged his shoulders and looked at her. “Can you help?”

Nicolette sighed as she looked at the data she had been given. Maybe it was a coincidence and maybe not. She could see why he would want to know. His father died when he was young and probably violently during an op or something and under circumstances that would probably never be released. That was the hardest on families when they worked for the Company or were involved in ops that were not really official or secret in nature.

Section took her silence in the negative. He said, “Look. I know that what is more valuable to you is information and connections. I am willing to pay that. If you need JSOC…”

“And do you have the currency to authorize JSOC?”

Section looked at her. She was merely asking, not even thinking about accepting that. He replied, “I have some connection but I do take orders.”

Nicolette nodded as she thought about it. She knew that this was going into dangerous territory. “You know if I do help you, this may go down a place where you might not like what you find,” she said as she looked Section in the eye with a warning look on her face.

“I’m willing to risk it. Just to… put some ghosts to rest,” he replied as he looked down at the table.

Nicolette studied the man. She sensed that there were daddy issues in this as well since he uttered that last remark in a tone that indicated as such. It triggered an urge to help like she did the kids that passed through Karen’s place. While this man was hardly a kid, there was still that part that just… She sighed, “I don’t know why I’m doing this… Actually I do and it has nothing to do with gaining an asset.” She made a slight face and continued, “I’ll help you out. If only to find out why this freakiness shows up.”

Section gave a slight smile and a chuckle at the tine Nicolette took. “Thank you.”

“Don’t thank me yet,” Nicolette replied as she finished her tea. She looked at the data pad and at Section. “I don’t even know if it will give what you want. It might benefit me more than you considering I’m the one the comparisons are being drawn with.”

“I’ll take what I can get,” Section replied. He knew that he had to give something in return even if she didn’t want it. “At least I can give you a hand if you need it.”

“Helping a friend,” Nicolette replied with a firm look. She held out her hand for a shake and it was taken by his. “I’ll give you a contact number and details can be set up later. Right now I suspect that all hands on deck will be needed… if you’ve been listening to the news.”

“I saw it. I was on my way back.” Section sat up and stood to go.

Nicolette stood up with him. She handed the card she had scribbled a number on to him. “One more thing… how did you know I was here in Brazil?” She narrowed her eyes in suspicion.

Section pocketed the card and looked at her. He gave a shrug of his shoulders and replied, “Did what I’ve looked up about you. That which I was allowed to see.”

“What is that?”

“Chase the lead where none exists,” Section replied with a slight lopsided grin.

Nicolette felt herself returning the grin with one of her own. It was what she did and no doubt he would have kept up with the 141 activities. She replied, “Alright. Take care Section.”

“You too, Ryan.”

They were about to part when a loud set of screams occurred. They both looked in the direction they heard it was coming from. It was coming from the favela. From the sound of things, it wasn’t something like a simple drive by. It was full scale shootout and it had been going on awhile. Nicolette turned to find that Section was ready to go and she looked in the direction of the favela and pulled out her handgun. It looked like it was going to be one of those days.

****

_Roach, we’ve got Rojas’ location. He’s heading west along the upper levels of the favela. We’ll keep him from doubling back on our side. Keep going and cut him off up top. There’s no time for backup. You and the kid are gonna have to do this on your own. Good luck. Out._

That was easier said than done but Roach knew that there was no choice. Both Royce and Meat had been hit when they entered the favela and took heavy fire from the militia. They were in the process of searching for Rojas and were immediately overwhelmed by the volume and the fact that they knew the favela well and they didn’t. That was their advantage.

It started off fairly well and the kid Duke had his back. When they pressed forward, it got thicker and Roach was under the impression that they were getting close to the guy they were after. The first one hit was Meat and Royce went to cover him and assess the damage. At the time Roach and Duke were maybe twenty feet away but it seemed like a mile in trying to get close enough to cover.

Meat was hit but not bad but it could be serious since it was the arm and he was bleeding profusely. It wasn’t an artery otherwise they would have been in trouble. The real trouble came when Royce was hit and in the abdomen. He grew pale extremely fast and it looked like he wasn’t going to make it.

Duke actually volunteered to stay behind and called in, “This is Kid. Royce and Meat are down. Staying to tend to wounded. Roach proceeding to intercept target.”

_Copy that. Stay frosty Kid._

Roach wished the kid luck. He almost had to chuckle at the way they referred to Duke as ‘Kid’ even though he was closer towards his age and Nicolette’s age than the others. Duke didn’t seem to mind and accepted the nickname and even used it in reference to radio calls. While he wasn’t officially part of the 141, he was a part of it and it had started when they were stranded in Afghan.

Roach continued through the favela taking cover from the militia that just seemed to pop out of nowhere. There were blind corners and alleys and they seemed to like the rooftops. It certainly pissed him off when they started firing RPGs at him. He was used to gunfire and had been in a few tight spots but sometimes he just got bloody pissed.

_Roach, this is their territory and they know it well. Keep an eye open for ambush positions and check your corners._

_No fucking shite_ , Roach thought to himself as he replied, “Copy. Moving up a level. Kid, how are Meat and Royce?”

_It’s not looking good. Still moving to fallback position for treatment. Seems like you’ve diverted their fire._

“That’s me alright,” Roach replied as he checked his corners and slipped past one of the militia without being seen. He was going to have plenty of trouble the closer he got to Rojas. Better to get to where he needed to go and shoot if he had to.

_Roach, watch the rooftops! We’ve had a few close calls with RPGs and machine guns positioned up high._

_We’re taking heavy fire from militia here but I’m still tracking Rojas. He’s gone into a building. Ghost, you see him?_

_Roger that, he’s climbing onto a roof carrying a black duffel bag._

_Well that ought to slow him down. Roach, we’re keeping him from doubling back. Keep moving to intercept. Go! Go!_

Roach rounded another corner trying to push his way up to the upper levels. He heard MacTavish giving orders to Duke to get Royce and Meat to a secure location. It must be like Afghan all over again but that was this job. He would do what he had to do and move to intercept the target. It was just frustrating since the favela was a jumble of staircases, hills and the apartments were like a hodgepodge of rooms stuck together. Perhaps it would be better to get on the rooftops and move. There were still the machine guns and RPGs but he could avoid the ground troops unless they shot at him. He made another turn to head up.

_Keep going! Rojas is still headed towards your side of the favela!_

_Roach, don’t let the militia pin you down for too long! Use your flashbangs on them!_

“Brilliant idea mate,” Roach replied, well aware that Ghost could hear him. It wasn’t a bad idea and he used it. It would help for him to get to higher ground.

_I’ve lost sight of him again. Ghost talk to me!_

_I’m onto him! He’s trying to double back through the alleys below!_

_Roger that. Stay on him!_

Roach ducked just as a spray of bullets hit the wall of the house or whatever it was called behind him. He returned fire taking out the machine gun and the guy that was firing from the ground level. “This is actually turning into one of those days. Makes me wish we were back in the mountains,” he muttered as he adjusted his position and pushed onward.

_I’ve got a visual on Rojas! He’s cutting through the market!_

_Roger that! I’ll head for the rooftops and try to cut him off on the right! He’s going to have no choice but to head west._

_I’m taking a lot of fire from the militia. I don’t think I can track him through the market! I’m going to have to find another way around._

Roach knew that they were going to have to move to keep Rojas boxed in. They couldn’t let him get way. The problem was he felt that he was getting hopelessly lost in this maze. Almost every other corner had militia shooting at him or throwing a bloody grenade in his direction. He responded back by throwing his own or throwing theirs back if he could. He pressed against the wall to determine which way to go.

_It’ll be fun Roach. The trick to not getting lost is this thing… a compass._

It was a fine time to be thinking about when his best mate was teasing him especially since that last pit run where the flashbang disoriented him for a bit and he got turned around and almost heading in the wrong direction. Roach knew that she was right though and checked where he had mounted it on his rifle where he could view it and found his direction and turned down it.

_Be advised, I’m about half a click east of the market. I can see Rojas running across the rooftops on my right side._

_Roger that! Roach, we’re corralling him closer to your side of the hill. Keep an eye on Rojas. He’s still making his way across the rooftops._

“Roger that, moving out now,” Roach replied as he abruptly came out of his hiding place and fired at the two gunman on the rooftop and moved forward. Now they were trying to pin the guy in a corner. He could only pray that it wasn’t like pinning an animal that would attack them if they got too close or something like that.

_Sir, I’ve got Rojas in my sights! We can go for a clean leg shot. We can end it here!_

_Negative! We can’t risk it! Do not engage!_

Roach knew Ghost was a good shot and of course MacTavish knew that as well. Still the captain was right. Even if it was a clean leg shot, there was always the chance that the bullet could do something unexpected. Given the usual for the 141 the unexpected more likely would happen. It was best that Ghost not engage, not when they needed the intel.

_Bollocks! Roger that!_

Roach moved forward, using the various rooms or apartments for cover. He felt a moment of pity for all the damage done since it was a person’s home but if it belonged to militia then there were no worries. It was best not to think about it at all. It had been the same in Afghan in that city with the various houses and apartments occupied by families and militia.

_Keep moving Roach! Up the hill. I’ve got him cut off. He’s got nowhere to go but west over the rooftops into your area! He knows the areas well but we can trap him up here. Don’t stop!_

 “Roger that,” Roach replied as he picked up the pace. He was in position and he thought he might have spotted Rojas. He was on him. He pushed forward and drew fire.

_We’re going to cut him off at the summit. Keep pushing._

It was like a mad dash for the finish line as Roach continued to push to be in position to drive Rojas straight into the captain and Ghost. He heard MacTavish and Ghost going back on forth. It seemed that Rojas was trying to evade capture and through them off by changing directions. It seemed like he was heading towards Ghost but then eyes said that he was heading back towards him. Roach kept pushing forward mindful that if he spotted him, not to shoot. He raced up the hill to not let Rojas double back.

_Ghost, I’m going far right._

_He’s gonna get away!_

_No he’s not._

Roach came upon a set of apartments with his eyes on Rojas just as MacTavish crashed through a window and tackled Rojas. They both went over the edge and landed on the car below with a loud crash. Roach was on them with cover on Rojas to allow MacTavish to get up. He nodded as MacTavish informed they had the package. It looked like one of those days.


	7. Chapter 7

“You know you can be crazy.”

Nicolette looked at Section as she walked like she belonged towards the favela and pretending that nothing was wrong. She didn’t quite blend in because of her hair color but she knew how to make herself invisible. She replied, “And I learned that you don’t always need to make a statement with a gun. Too noisy.” She pointed at the two militia that were just standing there.

It was nothing to move up and grab them from behind and kill them. Section looked over and said, “Nice.”

Nicolette picked up the weapon and checked it. She looked at Section who picked up the other. “Thanks. You should go.”

“I can help.”

“And I won’t allow you to be declared AWOL,” Nicolette countered. She glanced around to make sure that they weren’t being watched.

“I won’t. I can help you know.”

“Negative.” When it looked like Section was going to protest, Nicolette explained, “Look I know you mean well but I can’t let you do this. If you want me to help you, my rules and my way.”

Section looked at Nicolette and actually felt the urge to salute her. Still with everything that he was hearing coming out of the favela… He didn’t want to lose his chance of putting some ghosts to rest. He replied, “And I would agree to that but given what is going on… you might need a hand.”

Nicolette studied Section with a raised brow. This was a new relationship and she wasn’t sure how to work it. She may have agreed to help him but she needed some measure of control. Otherwise how was she going to do her job and carry this on the side?

_S64 I am picking up something. It is coming in from NORAD._

It was fine time for Addy to be making an announcement but it was how Nicolette kept up in the world. She had uploaded the AI to give her access to the surveillance systems. It was a gamble but Addy had her parameters and never tried to break them. It also enabled her to connect to the 141 easily and there were a few extras that she had been working on in her spare time to keep the AI happy with programming and other things. “Patch me in.”

Section watched as she spoke and realized that she was talking to someone else. He noticed the earwig that wasn’t standard issue. He looked at his wrist reader and saw that he was getting something too and paused to look.

_Zulu X-Ray 6. Signs in your sector of some 100 bogeys, please advise._

_They’re everywhere!_

_Sierra Delta repeat!_

_How the hell did they get through!_

_All station be advised: satellite surveillance has been disabled. SOSUS and Pave Paws are inoperative at this time._

“Addy are they talking about satellite defense?”

_Affirmative. Russian air force has been detected in US airspace. NORAD has dispatched the 75 th Ranger Battalion._

Nicolette looked around listening to Addy. She muttered, “Fuck I knew this would happen. Russians copied the ACS module. We should have run a diagnostics. Then Moscow happened… Fuck this.” She started pacing and thinking about what the next steps would be. “Addy do you have visual on the attack?”

_Tapping into surveillance over sector in northeastern Virginia._

Nicolette felt a tap on her shoulder. She looked to see Section holding out a pair of what looked like sunglasses. When she gave him a look, he explained, “Just something to see with.”

Like anything else on this crazy trip, it was a gamble. Nicolette took the proffered glasses and put them on just as Section pulled out another pair and put them on. First glance they were regular sunglasses but then a screen popped up so she could see what was being shown.

_S64 I am picking up two signals in your location. Energy readings are similar to those in your wrist com but newer._

Nicolette looked at Section who was looking back at her. It wasn’t anything new that organizations like JSOC and CIA would have technology like that but where she got Addy and her com was from Jensen and Shadow Protocol with the whole research and division thing. She was willing to go out on a limb and said, “It’s okay Addy. Run sequence and patch in to both on all systems. Connect.”

_Copy that. Patched in. Lieutenant David ‘Section’ Mason is now active on the system._

“Copy that,” Nicolette said. “Sync up with wrist com.” She tapped on her ‘watch’ and was able to get a read on what was going on. “Completed.”

“Kind of thought you were the best.”

Nicolette turned to look at Section. “Big risk sharing this considering this is an unofficial contact,” she said.

“Like I said… I’m willing to risk it. Seems like there’s trouble at home.”

“All the more reason for you to get back to base,” Nicolette replied with a firmness in her tone. She had seen the vitals pop up on Section and it was going to be interesting considering that she was actually younger than he was by approximately ten years. This was going to be one of those things. “I mean it Section. You want my help we do it my way.”

“And I agree to that but not this time,” Section replied. He knew that he was being difficult on purpose and he was trampling on any semblance of authority because of their age difference. He wasn’t stupid since he had figured it out and he did his homework once he saw the feeds from the Bogota mission and under the pretext of a training too. “Look you and I know that they have the home field advantage. They know the place well and could easily take you out.”

“I have been in worse situations… believe me,” Nicolette replied. She listened to the feed. “All units are being called back in.”

“And because of the attacks, I would need to find a different ride home.”

“And knowing you, you would have something ready to go at a moment’s notice. You took the time to track me down and come down here to ask me for help.” Nicolette paused. She could use that ‘expecting something in return’ card but that was for extreme cases. Section so far had proven somewhat in that status of friendship she had with Roach. “Why are you still here?”

Section looked around. People were still running and screaming and the gunfire had picked up from the favela and they hadn’t gone down into it. He then looked at Nicolette and said, “Because I want to help.”

“I think that response is total bullshit but I’ll let it go for now,” Nicolette replied after looking at Section long and hard. She sighed and looked around. “Okay I am trying to link up with the 141. We have been tracking the arms dealer for Makarov. Turns out he supplied the stuff for the Zakhaev International incident. Our guy is here in Rio.”

“How do you know this if you are trying to link up?” Section was curious about how she was putting things together.

“I was chasing the same guy but before what happened in Moscow. We were going to disable and cripple Makarov’s supply. They were here to follow the bullet and get any intel on Makarov,” she explained. Again it was a gamble but since Section was with JSOC the counter terrorism unit, she was going to take a risk. She was trusting her gut on this since it was the same one that was telling her to be wary of Shepherd.

Section realized she was being more open and honest with him than he had been so far. It had him wondering if there was some card she had that gave her the advantage or not. Still it was odd and it had him wondering if that open honesty would trip her and he would fall. It was like an innocence of a sort even though it was obvious she had been in this job for some time. He nodded, “From the looks of things, you guy must have been hiding here. Shouldn’t take long to find them.”

“You sound strangely confident,” Nicolette replied with a raised brow as she took off the glasses to hand them back.

“Keep them. Since you did your thing, it should be easy to give a call right?” Section felt his lip twitch in a slight smile. “Besides we just follow the gunfire,” he added as he cocked the gun he had taken.

Nicolette gave a slight smile since it was the funniest and logical thing to do. She nodded and made sure her weapon was ready and with a go sign, they started making their way through the favela. She called, “Addy, key to the city.”

_Copy that. Captain MacTavish and the 141 are with primary target. Transmission attempted._

“They’re not going to get anyone on the horn,” Nicolette said as they moved through. They hadn’t encountered much so far but they still needed eyes open. Section covered the flank while she took point. “Patch me through to Nikolai.”

_Patching through._

_Nico, I didn’t expect to hear from you. I thought you were meeting up with our mutual friend for transport._

“That got sidetracked,” Nicolette replied as she peered around the corners. “Things are a little dicey back on my side of the pond. We’re gonna need exfil.”

_Da. Already on it little Nico. I’ll wait for the call since we have too much fun being prepared._

“Contingency, Nikolai. Someone told me it is always good to have a contingency plan,” Nicolette replied.

_Alright. I will see you when I see you. Udachi._

“Blagodarya moim drugom,” Nicolette replied with a smile. The signal was cut off as she rounded another corner.

“Friends with a Russian?”

Nicolette looked at Section. He was looking at her curious in her choice of friends. She nodded and replied, “Yes. Nikolai is an asset that had infiltrated the ultranationalist camp like I did. We passed information. Not all Russians are against us.”

“No arguments there. Just surprised,” Section replied as he raised his hands in surrender. “Must come in handy.”

“Nikolai’s a good friend and he hasn’t let me down,” Nicolette replied as she turned to keep moving. She paused to see the visual updates Addy was feeding her through the glasses. They were actually pretty neat and something she was going to have to ask about when she saw Jensen again. They continued on for some time and not finding much and even managed to pass off as militia to avoid a fight. She looked at Section and said, “Seems like the escort wasn’t too exciting. I don’t like this then again I never do.”

“No one does. The quiet is what scares us all.”

Suddenly there was the sound of gunfire. Nicolette said, “Talk to me Addy. Sit rep on Soap?”

_Everyone get ready! Lock and load!_

_Let’s do this!_

Nicolette heard the radio transmissions going back and forth. She could hear the gunfire over the radio. It looked like they were going in fast and hard. They actually weren’t that far away. She looked at Section, “Looks like I was wrong. Let’s go.”

“Following your lead.” Section took the flank and took the opportunity to tap into his wrist console. She was right about meeting her friends so he was going to make adjustments to the arrangement he had.

****

_Roach! Roach! Wake up!_

Roach opened his eyes and felt every sore spot in his body. His vision was a bit blurry but he heard the urgency and forced them open. He remembered that he had pushed Duke helping Royce over so they would make it but it didn’t help his momentum. He fell short and slipped. It was like being on the Tian Shan mountains again when MacTavish reached to give him a hand but he missed.

Actually Roach had slipped and fell. The adrenaline was rushing and he really didn’t think about when his best mate taught him how to fall. He just went with it. Now as he was slowly waking up and trying to clear his head, it looked like he was lucky. _And that’s why they call me Roach_ , he thought to himself.

_Roach! We can see them from the chopper! They’re coming for you, dozens of ‘em!_

Hearing Ghost’s warnings, spurred Roach to get to his feet. He could make out the shadowy outlines of the militia making their way over. Looking around, he found that he had lost his gun in the fall. That was just bloody brilliant. He got to his feet and dusted his hands and looked around. Turning he saw the shadowy shapes of what looked like MacTavish and the others on the rooftops. He rubbed his head since it was throbbing quite a lot. He wasn’t going to think about the possibility of a concussion and just shook his head to clear his vision.

_Roach! There’s too many of them! Get the hell out of there and find a way to the rooftops! Move!_

Luckily the com wasn’t smashed. Roach replied, “Copy that.” Taking a breath he looked around for an exit that would get him to the rooftops. The crowd sounded like it was getting louder.

_Run for it! Get to the rooftops!_

Roach found a house that looked promising since it would hide him and started running through. He wasn’t fast enough since someone saw him and started firing through the walls. He ducked and blinked as ricochets and sparks flew. “Bloody hell.”

_Roach, we’re circling the area but I can’t see you! You’ve got to get to the rooftops!_

“Working on it,” Roach replied as he looked around. He rounded a corner and came face to face with a militia. He took a step back and fell over. He thought he was dead when the gunman was going shoot him. He thought he was when he heard the shot but then a spray of blood hit him.

Looking up and blinking, Roach saw another gunman. Only this time it was someone he was glad to see. “Bloody hell. It’s you.”

Nicolette looked down at Roach with a grin and replied, “You really need to work on your corners bug.” She grabbed him to haul him to his feet and motioned, “Come on. We’ve got to go. I’ve got a dozen more coming.”

“You don’t have to tell me twice,” Roach replied as he followed her up a flight of stairs that would lead them to the upper levels and to the rooftops.

“Bol'shaya Ptitsa . Vy slyshite?” Nicolette called into her com.

_Da. I read you. I was waiting for your call._

“On my way. I’ve got Roach and we’re making our way to the rooftops,” Nicolette replied as she led the way. They ran through a couple more houses until they found the stairs that went up. As they rounded the corner though, she caught sight of a lone militia and turned to gun him down but he was taken out.

_Didn’t think that I’d leave ya without an escape?_

Nicolette heard the transmission and grinned. Section and she split the moment they could. He said he’d be okay and she handed him a com piece. They were able to talk to each other and he was able to tell her that the 141 had made it to the rooftops. She had picked up the pace to intercept and get up until Section said that one of her guys fell. He was up high somewhere and could see and was able to tell her she was within a short distance of Roach.

She replied, “Copy that. Exfil your station now. On the rooftops. Go!”

_Roger that. Good luck._

“Who the bloody hell was that?” Roach managed to ask the question even though he was almost out of breath.

“Someone I was working with and he stuck around,” Nicolette replied. She looked around to make sure that there was nothing around before continuing up.

_Roach! We’re running low on fuel! Where the hell are you!_

“On our way,” Nicolette replied. She could almost hear cursing on the other end. They found the rooftops and jump on them and started running,

_I see you, keep going and meet us south of your position! Go!_

Nicolette led the way. They were lucky that the militia were such terrible shots. She had never seen such bad shooting unless that was the intention. That wasn’t too big of a stretch. At least they had a couple of weapons. The bad thing was that she wasn’t in Kevlar so if she got hit, she was hit and she wouldn’t hear the end of it from MacTavish. She tapped her com, “Acknowledged. Bol'shaya Ptitsa, fuel status?”

_Gas is very low. I must leave in thirty seconds._

“Copy that,” Nicolette replied as she started running faster. This was where the fun began and it was a race for their lives. “Come on Roach.”

Roach followed behind and picked up the pace. Without a gun he could technically run faster and it wasn’t slowing him down. Still when you had bullets flying trying to shoot at you, then that was a different story. Still he managed to put the extra spurt into his legs and followed Nicolette in a southern direction over the uneven rooftops. They were running and leaping on and over the rises and falls of the hodgepodge of sheet metal that they called roofs. It was just like running a pit run on the uneven ground.

_We’re running on fumes here! Get your arses moving!_

Nicolette and Roach heard but didn’t acknowledge as they ran and leapt. Roach always had liked watching her run the courses. She actually seemed to fly when she ran and was very sure of her footing. She landed where she wanted and even if it wasn’t where she wanted it, she made do with it and kept going. It’s what made the others in the 141 want to train with her. He had noticed a few try to imitate her but they stank at it. He could give them credit for the effort though.

_Time marked on the clock._

Nicolette knew Addy had been listening in and had activated the timer on her watch. She could see the clock ticking. Plenty of time now that she could see the chopper. She turned left and grabbed Roach by the shoulder strap, “Left. We go left and jump down.”

Roach had no choice but to follow since he was being yanked by her. She was a strong bugger and when it was serious… He joked that when she got going she must be a man in disguise. She ended up laughing and said that once she was mistaken for a very short man. They had good laughs on that one but he never doubted that she could be formidable.

They jumped down and turned right. It was a steep slope so the best thing to do was to slide down. They ran and dropped to slide to the next rooftop. Nicolette raised her rifle and fired at the couple of militia she had spotted before they went out of sight. The wall stopped their momentum and they pivoted to keep going. They jumped down a couple more and ran and dropped to slide into a house that luckily was empty.

_Twelve seconds and counting._

Roach saw that they were going to have to jump. He wasn’t looking forward to it and the distance seemed to be a little much. Also it was a ladder. If one hit their weight would make it swing and the other would miss. That meant that someone could fall to their death. “We’re not going to make it both at the same time,” he said.

“We’ll make it,” Nicolette countered, “Trust me.” They were in a perfect line to make a run. She pushed Roach, “Go!”

They made a mad dash towards the edge of the roof. They had to time it just right to push off and get the most lift. Roach went first as Nicolette pushed him. He grabbed the ladder and turned to see Nicolette flying through the air using her legs to gain momentum. At first he thought she was going to miss but she grabbed the ladder just under him. They were both on.

_Nikolai, we got them both! Get us out of here!_

_Where to my friend?_

_Just get us to the sub._

Roach hooked his arm and looked down. He saw Nicolette hanging on below. He was always the one saying that they weren’t going to make it and yet they did when she said they would. He shook his head at her.

_I told you we would make it, bug._

“Yeah you did. Nice going Ryan,” Roach called. He took a breath and looked at the landscape as the chopper flew in the direction they needed to go and meet the sub. Just another one of those days he supposed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Translation (Google Translate): Udachi (Good luck); Blagodarya moim drugom (Thanks my friend); Bol'shaya Ptitsa . Vy slyshite? (Big Bird. You copy?)
> 
> All translations are approximate.


	8. Chapter 8

Being on a sub was not something that Nicolette looked forward to doing but since she was there with the 141, she was more or less obliged to stay. Plus there was the fact that she had to report in to Shepherd and find out what happened with Allen. It didn’t trump the fact that there was a reason why women didn’t serve on a submarine. The upside was that she wasn’t claustrophobic. She was just uncomfortable since they were below water and that started her thinking the math in terms of pressure and everything like that.

Right now she was with Shepherd and she wasn’t liking it. She never liked it when she was in the same room and alone. It only served to make her more nervous about the entire thing and had her wondering if he was trying to make her slip up.

“I heard it was mission success on your end, Lieutenant,” Shepherd was saying.

Nicolette stood up. She had only been allowed to dust herself off before she was urged to report in directly. So she was still in her gear and in a more or less presentable state. “Yes sir,” she replied, “We managed to take out the runners and slow down Makarov’s supply. However the warning about Zakhaev International came too late.”

“It was timed just fine, Lieutenant,” Shepherd replied as he looked over everything. “We had a man on the inside to get close and when the timing was right.”

“You intended this as an assassination,” Nicolette said. While she sounded like she was out of line, she had noticed that the general preferred her to be like that and she couldn’t help but wonder if there was some other reason for it.

“Makarov is a whore and one who has put the world on the brink. You of all people should know this.”

“I do sir,” Nicolette replied, “I’ve been following his activities and we have been taking him out slowly and where it hits the most.”

“And it’s not enough. Don’t get me wrong, you have done good work locating his supporters and we have taken them out. You have shown exceptional courage.” Shepherd looked at Nicolette with a piercing look. “For intelligence, you have shown the true grit of a soldier. It is still told by Shadow Company.”

“I do what I can sir. We’re trained for this,” Nicolette replied giving a polite answer.

“And you have done more.”

There was a bit of silence. Nicolette watched as Shepherd started smoking a cigar. It was not really the best thing to do on a sub but no one was going to argue with the general. No one thought about it. She remembered the hospital in Hamburg. She remained silent since she hadn’t been given permission to speak and she had learned a long time ago to never volunteer information in terms of the job. Sometimes she did it with her personal relationships but for the most part she didn’t give any more than she had to.

It paid off when Shepherd finally said, “Private Allen’s death was an unforeseen result.”

“Any cover has the potential to be blown, sir,” Nicolette replied. She was at parade rest since that was the only thing she could do. Shepherd didn’t know she was CIA and other things; she was undercover so she was playing the role. “This one was solid… the only thing suggestive is that Makarov expected it.”

“And you’re giving way too much credit Lieutenant.”

“Sir, with all due respect, the man is not stupid. The ops we’ve had, they were part of an organization that was meticulously planned.” Nicolette knew she was repeating what she had said before. Sometimes you had to in order to remind people of the objectives that they were to go for. “He has a military career with ties to Spetsnaz.”

Shepherd made a slight sound at the mentioning of Spetsnaz. Nicolette said, “Sir, they are very good. The best example is the round robin op in the Ukraine.”

“You don’t need to remind me Lieutenant,” Shepherd replied as he waved her off. He smoked his cigar. “The point is that with the intel the Task Force recovered from Rojas, there is a prisoner in a gulag that Makarov has got the mad eye for. We’re getting more information to plan an assault which you will be a part of.”

“Makes sense, sir. I was assigned to the 141.”

“And you’ve been working for me. I don’t let valuable resources go to waste.” Shepherd walked over to the computer and pulled up images. “You’ve been busy with our overall plan. It drives Makarov.”

Nicolette recognized the images. It was work done to make it look like the Black Fox was still operational. She had calls from Langley about it and she had given what she could. It had been hard since she was still wanted by Makarov. He knew what she looked like but hadn’t been able to find her because she had managed to hide and she also took the fight to him. Sleight of hand was the trick.

“We intercepted a transmission that Makarov sent out to all his forces,” Shepherd continued. He pushed a button to play the transmission.

Nicolette listened to the message in Russian. Makarov was saying that the hypocrisy of the west has turned to cowardice. They use a man from the shadows to strike at them rather than meet them face to face. It was more of a denouncing of the west and their allies and they were evil. It was the usual. The last part though, she listened carefully.

_Deceit cuts both ways. Strike from the shadows and the light reveals the truth. He trusted you and now he is dead. We will find you. We will find you Anya…_

Nicolette blinked as the transmission ended. She looked at Shepherd, “Sounds like another one Makarov has the mad on for.”

“This Anya has been littering the transmissions we’ve intercepted.”

“It sounds like an obsession,” Nicolette replied. She shifted a bit careful not to give anything away.

“I checked and there was one mention of this Anya and it was linked with Zakhaev,” Shepherd replied as he studied the data. He then turned to look at Nicolette and eyed her carefully. He then said, “I want you to focus on finding this Anya. If Makarov wants her… I want her.”

“It could be she doesn’t know anything.”

“And yet she could.” Shepherd looked at Nicolette with a firm look. He took a step forward until he was directly in front of her. “I need you on this one Lieutenant.”

Nicolette knew that she wasn’t getting out of this. She replied, “Yes sir. Do you still want me to continue with pissing him off?”

“Always,” Shepherd said with a determined look and a slight grin. “Use everything Lieutenant.  Dismissed.”

Nicolette nodded and saluted before leaving Shepherd’s office on the sub. Once she was outside, she released the breath she had been holding and took a deep breath. She ran a hand through her hair and looked at nothing in particular as she started walking through the halls. She was really in deep shit on this. Two covers that were hers and Shepherd wanted both. She could only hold off for so long but at least with the Fox cover he expected it.

She mulled in her thoughts as she went to commandeer Ghost to stand guard on the showers. The operators and crew would think twice before messing with him if they wanted to get fresh with her. She could ask MacTavish but she didn’t want to bother him and he would end up teasing her while she was showering… In the end Ghost was agreeable and looked formidable like those clichéd bodyguards you saw in movies.

“Lost in thought again Ryan?”

“Always am Ghost,” she replied as she stepped out toweling her hair. She grinned as her dog tags clinked against her t-shirt. The little totem she had gotten in Africa was still on it. No one pointed out that she should take it off so it stayed though she only wore it for luck. Most of the time it was on her nightstand. “It’s what I get for doing my job. Lots of spider webs up here,” she added like a simpleton would and pointed at her head.

Ghost merely laughed. Since Afghan they had become close, not best mates like her and Roach but close in that they understood each other. They respected each other and had a comfortable relationship. Most would say that he had mellowed since she could get him to laugh. He looked at her and replied, “Lay it on thick you muppet. I had them bring chow to your room.”

“Aren’t you just the sweet little Ghost,” she teased as she walked up to him. Her mouth was arranged in a mischievous grin.

“Don’t think about it. Save it for Roach,” Ghost warned her off.

“British Nazi,” she muttered with a smile. She was surprised when Ghost actually pulled a lock of her hair like a little boy pulling on pigtails. She gaped as he strode down the hall. She said, “Watch your back. I know where you keep the Oakleys.”

Ghost turned to look at her and knew she was serious. He returned, “You just try, Ryan.” He paused a moment and then added, “Catch a couple of hours. Good to have you back.”

Nicolette hummed and smiled as Ghost turned to head back. It was a sober day. Royce hadn’t made it and Meat had bled out. His brachial artery had been nicked. So they lost two that day. While they joked, it wasn’t meant to convey that they didn’t care… it was more of a picking up and carrying one. They had to. She rubbed her chest where her scar was and felt it through her t-shirt. It was like reminding herself of how life was precious and it was on her mind as she turned around and headed to where her quarters would be.

Since she was the only female, allowances were made for her to have her own room and they accommodated for the privacy. She suspected she turned out one of the officers but no one disobeyed the general. She didn’t like the implication that she was his pet. It implied things beyond what she was doing. The thought had her worked up but she calmed down the moment she got to her door.

It was instant reaction the moment she felt a pair of arms around her waist as soon as she shut the door. She twisted and attempted to grab the wrists but it was halfhearted at best. She looked at her visitor and said, “You play a dangerous game. You know what I can do Soap.”

MacTavish held fast to her waist. He knew her hands were in position to squeeze the tendons and then the fight would be on so to speak. He wasn’t going to start it though. He just liked coming up with ways of being spontaneous with her and he had been anxious to talk to her about everything. He gave her a cocky smile and replied, “Oh I know lass. That’s why I didn’t go for stealth.” He gently pushed her back until her back was against the wall and he pressed his lips to hers.

Nicolette grinned as she felt his lips on hers. The pressure made her giddy. She released his wrists and wrapped her arms around his neck, kissing him back. She teased him back, “No but you are rusty at CQB.”

“Oh really?” MacTavish started kissing her jaw just under her ear. He began tickling her with his breath and stubble and chuckled when she tightened her arms around his neck in response. “I have my means,” he whispered, “Try me lass.”

Nicolette had tightened her arms around his neck when he startled tickling and suckling the place below her ear. She moved one of her hands to stick it down the back of his shirt knowing that he would react to the cold from her hands. She chuckled and kissed his cheek, “Better than an ice cube.”

MacTavish growled playfully as he took her mouth with hard kiss. He pressed and felt her gasp. She pulled back to look at him and he said, “Aye but that cold has heat. Warms me up.” He started kissing her again and his hands started moving, his fingers slowly working their way under the hem of her shirt and brushing the soft skin.

Nicolette gasped when she felt his fingers touch the skin on her hips and his thumbs brushed near her abdomen. “Warms you up?” She managed to gasp out as she moved her hands to brush his back. She grabbed his shirt, the material bunched up in her hands and she gave a hard yank to pull it off.

MacTavish continued to kiss her while he helped her take his shirt off. He chuckled when she paused to run her hands on his torso. He felt his skin flush when she ran her fingers on the scars he had acquired until she pressed a kiss to the scar on his shoulder where the shrapnel got him. He pulled her shirt down to reveal the scars from her gunshot wounds. He bent to kiss her shoulder and resume brushing her abdomen and making her jump. He chuckled again when her hands grasped his back and he felt her nails rake the skin.

It was inevitable when he picked her up by the waist and she wrapped her legs around his waist. He grinned, “Still got enough, love?”

He was laughing when she grabbed him by the head and gave him hard kiss on his mouth that nearly took his breath away. He took her mouth in return and carried her over to the bed. They exchanged kisses as he lowered her and looked down at her.

****

It felt cool when MacTavish opened his eyes. He noticed that her place was empty. He knew she was still in the room because of the light from the glow of the laptop on the nearby desk and she was sitting in the chair. He sat up and watched her, the cool air hitting his bare chest, and gave a slight smile. He got out of bed and walked over and wrapped his arms around her, “Can’t sleep? And here I was thinking that was good.”

Nicolette chuckled as she leaned into MacTavish’s embrace. She felt the warmth of his chest through the shirt she ‘borrowed’ from him. It looked like a nightshirt on her and she raised her leg to rest it on the edge of the chair. The material slid down to reveal her bare leg. She held her hands over his and replied, “Just giving a phone call.”

MacTavish remembered now and gave a bit of a groan in mock exasperation. He started kissing her on the side of her neck.  “Do you really have to do that now?”

Nicolette closed her eyes and groaned in pleasure from the kiss. She knew that he was trying to distract her and she found it funny because she knew the reason. She replied, “He’s awake now and we planned this. He’s my brother.”

“I know,” MacTavish replied with a slight sigh as he stopped kissing her. “Bugger still thinks I’m the dangerous one in this relationship.”

“He respects you,” Nicolette countered. She grinned as she continued, “After all _you_ were the one that rescued him and his team.”

“And he warned me he would crack my head open if I even thought about what we do in bed.”

“Too late on that account.”

“And whose fault is that?” MacTavish moved to take a look at her. “Eh lass?”

“Oh it’s always your fault,” Nicolette replied giving a saucy look at him. She reached up and rubbed his stubble with her fingers and gave him a kiss. “You should know that by now. Your fault that you decided you could try to keep up at me.”

“You dropped in and I couldn’t resist,” MacTavish replied with a grin and kissed her back. He looked at the screen and sighed, “So, when is the phone call?”

“Oh now,” Nicolette replied as she pushed the key. She held fast to MacTavish to prevent him from leaving. “By the way, thank you for convincing Kyle that I joined the military and not…”

“Hey… I think he knows deep down the lengths you’ll go for him but… even I know that there are some things that are best not said,” MacTavish replied softly as he hugged her. He breathed in her scent, appreciating the fact that she was still with him… still who she was like the day he met her. “I love you,” he said gently.

Nicolette embraced his hug and closed her eyes to enjoy it. “I love you too,” she replied.

It was over too soon when the beep sounded to indicate that the video chat was ready. Nicolette straightened up but MacTavish wasn’t letting her go. She didn’t want him to anyway. Still she wasn’t going to let Kyle see her looking too indecent even though he knew she and MacTavish were in a relationship. She clicked the button and the screen went active. She grinned at the image and said, “Never thought to see your ugly mug this early.”

“Right on time for me,” Kyle ‘Santana’ Walker said. He smiled at the image of his sister and her boyfriend. He liked the Scotsman the moment they first met and that was when he rescued him and his men and from being subjugated to torture and eventual death. He grinned when she asked, “So chasing any more bad guys?”

“No more than you have big little sister,” Kyle replied. He peered to get a better look. “I see you’ve got company. How’s it going you Scottish freak?”

MacTavish gave a slight groan and rolled his eyes. He looked at the screen and saw the same saucy look he saw on Nicolette’s face when she started. He knew she was doing the same thing even though he couldn’t see her face at the moment. He replied, “Better than you pillock.”

“Ooo and the Scotty has bite,” Kyle shot back. He looked at his sister and teased her, “You really like putting up with that?”

“About as much as I like putting up with you devil dog,” she replied.

Kyle chuckled and rubbed his face trying to keep his laughter in. He looked at the pair of faces looking at him and smiled, “Likewise sis. So have you decided to up and quit the simple life of a soldier yet?”

“Not really,” Nicolette replied after MacTavish decided to kiss her in front of his brother just to be difficult. “I kind of like taking orders.”

MacTavish gave a cough to hide his laughter. He noticed that Kyle was trying not to laugh as well. They both knew her well. He felt it when she gave him a fist on his thigh and ended up laughing. He said, “Now come on lass. You and I… and your bloody Yank of a brother know you have a way of interpreting orders.”

“And occasionally I listen,” Nicolette retorted playfully. “Sometimes rules have to be bent.”

“Only when you’re doing the bending little sister,” Kyle said. He was grinning at the scene he was watching. “I’m just glad that Scottish freak is keeping you out of trouble.”

“Pain in my arse,” MacTavish said and he couldn’t resist giving Nicolette a kiss on the cheek.

“You both are such baboons,” Nicolette said not at all put out by the jokes at her expense. She smiled at them both and teased, “But I do love monkeys.”

Kyle laughed at that. It was a joke they had as kids. He had recognized it when she called him a baboon. It was because of Linus and Sally from the Peanuts gang and that relationship. He was glad that his sister was so happy. He sobered and said, “Really though I am glad you’re with him and your guys. Shit’s going crazy back home from what I heard. I tried calling Karen but I got nothing. You get anything?”

Nicolette shook her head. She had tried and didn’t get anything. “Nothing. Try anything on your end?”

“I’m not even going to ask what you know about that. Less I know about your talents the better,” Kyle replied with a placating gesture. He sighed and added, “I’m on it. If it does hit near home at least she has priority. Don’t worry about it. I’ll handle it.”

“Trying to protect me again, Stupid?”

“I know you can handle yourself and you worry more than enough for the both of us. Think you can let me worry for a change? I’m stuck here on base until they send us into action,” Kyle said trying not to show his frustration. “Can’t move because we are valuable in our present location.”

“And we can’t pull people off other borders. We still need people to keep watch.”

“You always were the more patient.” Kyle checked his watch. “I gotta go. Take care. And you MacTavish better remember what the hell I said. They don’t call me Santana for nothing.”

“Don’t I know it,” MacTavish replied as Nicolette gave a wave good-bye. “And you know about me Yank.” He gave a nod at Kyle and received one in return.  “Stay frosty mate.”

“Same to you.” Kyle gave a look at his sister before cutting off the transmission.

Nicolette stared at the blank screen and sighed. She felt MacTavish adjust his arms around her and hold her. She leaned into his embrace. She smiled and said, “See I told you he likes you.”

MacTavish chuckled. He knew she had other things on her mind. Her foster mother was near the top of her list. Everything he had heard about the woman had him glad she raised his Nico to the person she was. He kissed her neck and murmured, “I’m sure she’s fine. Kyle will make sure of it.”

“I know.” Nicolette leaned her head on his arm and stroked her fingers along his bicep in a thoughtful manner. She had no doubts about her brother. He had always kept his word even when they were kids. If he said that he would do what he could to make sure Karen was okay. She knew he would do it even when he was pissed at remaining where he was. She yawned causing MacTavish to chuckle and she asked, “What?”

“Think I could persuade you to come back to bed and catch a few more hours?”

“And if I said no?” Nicolette turned to look at MacTavish in the eye. She smiled as she raised her brow in a teasing manner.

“Too late, sweetheart,” MacTavish replied. He swooped and picked her up and held her bridal style. He grinned when she automatically wrapped her arms around his neck. He craned his neck for a kiss and started making the short trip back to bed. “I’m just going to do it.”

“I could make it difficult you know,” Nicolette replied with a smirk on her face as she kept her arms wrapped affectionately around his neck. Her fingers started to brush the back of his neck where the revolver tattoo was. She felt the buzz from the short hairs that went to styling his Mohawk. “I know the guys like it when I beat your ass black and blue.”

“Only because I let you.”

“You let me, do you?” Nicolette raised her brow at him to challenge his assertion of that.

MacTavish grinned, “What do you think, love?” He drew her in for a kiss and lowered her back on the bed. He started kissing her face and lowered his hands to run his fingers over her abdomen and chuckled when she jumped at the touch. He pulled back and looked down at her, taking in her features and thinking she was the most beautiful creature he knew. He asked, “Nothing to say?”

Nicolette looked up at MacTavish, her eyes pausing on the scar over his eye. When he asked her the question she growled, “Come here you Scottish bastard,” and pulled his head down for another kiss. They could use a couple more hours of sleep.


	9. Chapter 9

MacTavish felt something tickling his chest followed by kisses being places in a trail from his jaw under his ear and upwards towards his mouth. He was ready for it and received her kiss with groan of pleasure. “And here I was thinking I was good at a wakeup call.” He smiled at her, “Good morning.”

“Morning,” Nicolette replied as she propped herself on top of his chest and looked down. Her fingers were tickling his chest along with her hair. She smiled at him as she felt his hands run up her bare back and she put her head down to rest it on his chest.

MacTavish hummed as he stroked her back and asked, “Feel better?”

“Yeah,” Nicolette replied as she rubbed her fingers on his chest. “Kyle will keep his word. He always has even if he technically didn’t. And I think Karen is okay. The house is in Maryland.”

MacTavish listened to her as he propped his head under one of his arms. The other he continued to stroke her back and occasionally tease her by flicking the sheet where it draped across her waist. He got his punishment when she poked him in his ticklish spot and he twitched. He gave a hum and a grin since he knew it was a warning.

He also knew that she was still bothered by something. She always was worried about something and some days he worried that she pushed herself too hard. He knew she wanted to tell him everything about what she was doing, within reason, and he was relieved (?) that she wanted to, but he knew that there was a reason for secrets. He knew what he was getting into when he fell in love with a spy. Maybe he was putting blinders on but he wanted her to know that he trusted her with everything.

Nicolette sensed he was waiting for her to say more. She had more to say but she wasn’t sure how to bring it up. She had avoided so far talking about Shepherd because… it sounded like paranoia. He wouldn’t laugh at her or anything like that but… “Thank you.”

“For what lass?”

“Being patient with me.”

MacTavish paused a moment and then moved his hand to cup her cheek. He brought her face up to look at him. He took in her hazel green eyes that seemed to glitter even though the room was dark. “I’m here for you Nico. What’s wrong?”

Nicolette smiled as she felt his reassuring touch on her face. She replied, “You’re always with me even when I go off slinging through the mud.” She paused as she propped herself up. “You know I have been doing stuff for Shepherd, using my old cover that didn’t fool you a bit.”

“Pissing off Makarov with the Black Fox? Any leads?”

“Yes,” Nicolette replied as she adjusted her position so she wasn’t jabbing him with her elbows. “More along the lines… we intercepted a transmission. He mentioned Anya again.”

It was hard not to overreact to that. MacTavish knew that her cover Anya was what Makarov was after. He had known since OP Kingfish. The reasons why he was certain it was because of Viktor Zakhaev until one night’s nightmare had him learn a horrible truth.

Nightmares sometimes never truly go away. He had learned that the hard way when he removed her totem that night since the band holding it on was weak and looked like it would snap. He knew she had sentimental value for the thing and thought that she would get hysterical if it was lost; it was just a goodwill gesture for the girl he loved.

He felt it rather than heard it and he remembered thinking that she had a mean right hook when she was awake. When she was asleep… that was something else. He had woken up when she started tossing, turning and when he touched her, she punched him hard in the chest and pushed away and fell on the floor. He didn’t take it personally and he was more concerned about her hurting herself so he went to check on her.

She was sitting next to the nightstand and hugging her legs to herself trying to make herself small and her head was down. She was trying to hide her face. He sat slowly nest to her and started talking to her. It was then that she told him she had a nightmare about when she had been captured. She revealed that Makarov was the one that beat her and touched her suggestively after killing her contact and friend in front of her.

It was one of the few times that she cried and his heart pounded with raw anger at Makarov but also in pain that she was in pain. While it was some relief that Makarov hadn’t put it together that the Black Fox and Anya were one and the same, MacTavish felt like that situation was a tightrope act that just added the no net and flaming batons or something to it. It only reaffirmed his promise to catch the bastard and keep her safe even if she was bringing the fight to him so to speak. He looked at her and asked, “What did Shepherd say?”

“He wants me to find her,” Nicolette said with a slight scoffing tone. “He thinks she might be valuable to giving intel or something like that.” She looked down at MacTavish’s chest and traced a pattern with her fingers while tracing the scars. “Just having a hard time thinking how to do that along with feeling like I did something wrong because PFC Allen is dead and we didn’t find the gunrunners until it was too late.”

MacTavish rubbed her cheek gently with his thumb. He added, “You could add the bad day of getting the ACS module and finding out too late that the Russians copied it and then the whole mess in the favela.”

Nicolette gave a slight smile while leaning into MacTavish’s touch. “Yeah I suppose. I just don’t want to hide. You know proactive.”

“Big words there now lass. Shouldn’t you be talking to Roach now,” MacTavish teased gently. He was rewards with a slight slap to his chest. He sobered slightly but was still smiling, “I know Nico and while I do get worried when you go… I know that you’ll come back. Just as I come back to you.”

Nicolette leaned forward to give MacTavish a kiss on the lips. “You can be so cheesy Soap that it is adorable.”

“A step up from what you usually call me,” he replied as he gave her a gentle kiss on the lips. “And I thought you liked cheesy.”

“I like Shakespeare and Tennyson,” she replied. She then smirked, “And occasionally John Locke and a bit of Marx.” Finishing she chuckled and put her head down and made to hug him and he returned it by wrapping his arms around her. She heard his heartbeat and knew things were okay. Even with the next thing going, they would work out. “I made a new friend.”

“The kid told me. Harrison.” MacTavish made a slight growling sound as he said it. “So you saved his arse?”

“That and had fun with plan B,” she replied giving him one last hug before getting up. It was way early for a briefing but Shepherd’s rules and they would have had something by now. She was sitting up and she drew the sheet up to her chest exposing her bare back to MacTavish but he was sitting up with her and rubbing her shoulders. She continued, “But that wasn’t it. I may have a new friend with JSOC. Part of a personal project.”

MacTavish couldn’t resist and leaned in to kiss her shoulder. “A little off in timing for that?” He asked the question as he kissed and let his breath touch her skin.

“Maybe but… there are other things going on in the world and they are all connected,” Nicolette replied as she reached up and caressed his cheek. It distracted him from her shoulder but he put his concentration on rubbing her hand and kissing the palm.

MacTavish sighed as he finished his kisses. Her intelligence and how she saw things, it was why he loved her. She knew what she was doing. He replied, “I know. Just be careful Nico. I know I say it a lot but if I don’t, like your thumb kiss thing, it feels like it might jinx things.”

Nicolette smiled at him. Maybe they were a little superstitious but given the way their lives had been the past five years… Sometimes you needed some form of stability for peace of mind. She understood where he was coming from and she didn’t make fun of him for that or anything that would be hurtful. “I always try, love. Even when things go to bloody hell.”

“You sound cute when try to be British,” MacTavish replied with a chuckle. “It must be the exotic accent. Very Yank.”

Nicolette couldn’t help but laugh even though she pretended to be insulted. “Maybe it’s because I love all things on your side of the pond. Even if he is a stubborn Scottish ass.”

They laughed as quietly as they could since MacTavish technically had his own place and they were still keeping their relationship on the down low. They got dressed and walked to the mess to grab coffee. There was even time to grab chow and Nicolette was happy with oatmeal into which she sliced half a banana and poured milk into the mug it was in.

“You have some strange eating habits, love,” MacTavish said as he held her coffee while she ate as they walked to a table. “And I guess I’m your bloody butler.”

“Nah. You’d look horrible as a butler,” she replied as she almost seemed to scarf it down. She just kept the mug close to her mouth to keep it from dripping. “You’re bad at housekeeping,” she added with a teasing look as she sat down.

MacTavish knew what she meant by that. He decided to push back, “Aye but your table manners have gotten sloppy.” He set her coffee down as he sat next to her. He had grabbed the same thing she did and decided to try her concoction and took the other half of the banana. “You couldn’t wait until we got to a table. And you called the rest of us animals.” He took a sip of his coffee that was black and immediately regretted it since it was shite.

“You’re all troglodytes,” Nicolette corrected as she adjusted her position. “Ghost calls you animals.”

“You rang you annoying shite?” Ghost came up with coffee and looking like he had been rudely awakened from a good night’s sleep.

“Just making a correction you British asshole,” she replied as she spooned a mouthful of oatmeal and banana into her mouth. She gave a slight smile as she chewed. She watched as MacTavish tried her concoction and make a face at the coffee. When her mouth was free of food she added, “We have to keep things straight around here otherwise…”

“And what are you talking about?” Ghost had taken a swig of the coffee. His lip twitched at the taste of the black brew and then watched as Nicolette took a sip of hers and didn’t make a face. “And why the hell aren’t you making a face at this shite?”

“Not telling,” Nicolette replied as she took another sip. She had managed to taper the bad taste by dropping in some brown sugar. It was weird but it worked and when you were desperate when living on stuff that made grown men keel over… you took what you got. “You can figure it out though,” she added smiling sweetly, “And I’ll forget about the Oakleys.”

At that moment Roach came by and said, “Guten Morgen, Nico.”

Nicolette smiled and said, “Bonjour, Bug. Avoir une bonne chute?”

“Halt die Klappe.”

“What the bloody hell are you two talking about?” Ghost looked at Roach and Nicolette who seemed to be grinning mischievously at him as Nicolette said to him, “Rien.”

MacTavish shook his head as he went to the business of eating. The language thing was a new way that Roach and Nicolette took to annoying Ghost or just being funny with the others. He ended finding out that Roach picked up a bit of French and had learned German in school. Nicolette of course learned her languages as she went. He personally thought her Russian was the prettiest but that was just him. Things were back to normal if only for a little while and sometimes you just had to grab it while you could. He then looked at Nicolette and nudged her shoulder and said in a low voice, “Tha gaol agam ort.”

She grinned and replied, “Tha gaol agam ort-fhèin.”

****

“Seems we’re headed the wrong direction, sir. Shouldn’t we be coming back to the fight?”

Being in ops at the hour they were at meant that something big was going on. MacTavish thought that they would be heading back to the States to help out there. The Americans were getting hit hard and he knew Nicolette was worried about the only family she had left there. He had always been impressed by her strength of character and how well she handled things after the initial outburst. The whole thing with Viktor Zakhaev told him that much. Right now she was working the computer and pulling up the data images for the briefing.

MacTavish knew she wouldn’t say if she was uncomfortable for whatever reason when Shepherd pulled her in for her briefings. He wished she would but she didn’t. Yet it seemed that Shepherd had been using her expertise a lot as if he wanted to take advantage of her experience as military intelligence. The other part would be that she knew computers like doctors knew human insides.

“Plenty of fight to go around MacTavish,” Shepherd was saying. He signaled to Nicolette to pull up what he wanted to be shown. “Glad you made it out of South America.” He looked at Nicolette and asked, “Ready to get your feet wet Lieutenant?”

“Always sir,” she replied as she had her hands poised to do what she was needed to do.

“Good, cause I’m sending you both to meet up with the 6th Fleet. Leading the counter-strike,” Shepherd replied. He watched as the map of the eastern coast of Russia came up and pinpointed the location. “Prisoner six-Two-Seven. We believe that who Makarov’s got the mad on for. But we can’t get to him.”

Nicolette knew this part. After the info that Rojas gave them plus what she had pushed with the Black Fox project she knew that their next move was a prison break. First though they had to set the stage. It was also a not too nice of a reminder that she was now on a different project to bring in Anya. This was going to be… interesting.

MacTavish studied the screen as the schematics for an oil rig came up. “Oil rigs, sir?”

Nicolette took over from her cue, “Russians use them as SAM sites particularly around where our target is being held.” She moved her hands over the keys and brought up what was needed like it was magic. “The oil workers are human shields so blowing them up wholesale is out of the question. This particular rig is the least defended.”

Shepherd let the men take a good look at it. He looked at his task force and then at the lieutenant who proved to be invaluable throughout this whole manhunt for that whore Makarov. She was intelligent and had a way of suggesting things that no one else would. He didn’t blame her for the failure of the cover and Private Allen. When the time came, she would understand. He diverted his attention back to the group and said, “Boys, I know I’m sending you into the meat grinder on this one…”

MacTavish spoke quickly and with confidence, “They’re defending it, so it means we want it. Especially if it gets us to Six-Two-Seven.”

“Good hunting. Dismissed.”

Nicolette was the last to leave and Shepherd stopped her on the way out, “A word Lieutenant.”

To her it was like twice in one sitting. Maybe it was her paranoia but this was starting to seem like it was too much. She really didn’t want the others to get the wrong idea but then again this was her job. She never thought she would come across a job that would make her this uncomfortable. She paused though after taking the data module out of the computer. “Sir?”

“Are you ready to get your feet wet?”

“Sir, the last mission ended up getting wet,” she pointed out. She wasn’t sure where this was going.

“I know,” Shepherd replied. He looked at her and the poignant and yet respectful look that she was giving him. “What I want to know is if you had anything new about this mission that you may have found out.”

 _So that was what it was about._ Nicolette looked at the general. She had been experimenting with a couple of things. She hadn’t had any luck so far. She shook her head and replied, “No sir. No updates as of now.”

The hum was hardly reassuring. Nicolette waited and then added, “Sir, I know I may be overstepping my bounds but am I right in assuming that you want me to find out a few things if possible once inside the gulag?”

“The task force will retrieve him but you are in charge of gaining any knowledge. You may be a lieutenant but you will have the same authority as MacTavish.”

 _And that will go over well._ She nodded, “Yes sir.”

“Dismissed. Oh and Lieutenant?”

Nicolette paused when the general continued. She was really getting paranoid if her defenses were going up. She looked at the man and said, “Sir?”

“Keep up the good work. Remember your objectives. You may go.”

Nicolette gave a salute and left the room. Damn this was getting to be like playing Russian roulette and she kept thinking that the empty chamber was loaded. Still this was her mission; to watch the general and then what she and Jensen talked about. The world of black ops was just… it was a crazy place to be and to be a spy and live with the knowledge that someone who was supposed to be a leader of the military may actually be a traitor… a little hard to swallow.

She was only too glad to be heading to her quarters to grab her gear as well as things she would need that weren’t exactly standard issue. They sure came in handy though and she needed to make a call of sorts.

_S64 I am getting a transmission._

Nicolette didn’t make a movement to acknowledge. It had become habit to put in her earpiece first thing after the normal stuff especially if she was going on a mission. It kept her in contact with Addy since she was monitoring things as an observer. She did say in a low voice, “You have from who?”

_Section. Shall I patch it through?_

“Please, audio only.”

_Standby._

_Ryan, do you read?_

Nicolette made a turn down the hall. She had to rendezvous with the others to leave the sub and they weren’t going by the conventional means. “Affirmative,” she replied as she paused to look around. “I could ask how you got this number.”

_Once your friend linked with the glasses I gave you, it was easy. Sort of like a call back function._

“Makes sense,” she replied. She was relieved that he got out of Rio. That place just seemed like it was on the verge of explosion with the shooting that went on. “Glad to hear that you got out okay.”

_I told you I could take care of it._

“Forgive me if I am skeptical about all claims of self-assuredness,” she countered with a slight grin on her face. She glanced at her watch and saw that she had some time before she had to be there to put on the last of her gear. “So why are you calling me? I thought the deal was I would call you.”

_Normally yes. Just thought I’d let you know that Command has the 6 th Fleet positioned for counter attack. Things back home are a little dicey and Washington is getting hit and hard._

“Hardly a surprise considering the Russians copied the key to our defenses. I know about the 6th Fleet, Section. We’re getting ready to launch ops to disable the ocean defenses.” Nicolette leaned against the wall looking casual and was glad no one was around. She looked at the ground like she was talking through a wall, “Is there something I should know?”

_Considering how pissed Command is… it looks like they are going to target a gulag. JSOC is sending a group of us in mostly to secure the place but a task force is to retrieve a package and I am guessing it is a prisoner._

“I guess you are pretty smart,” Nicolette teased.

_Just doing my job but thanks. Anyway it seems that no one is too happy about that part. Things might go a little crazy._

Nicolette gave a slight roll of her eyes. _I guess that means be prepared for some ‘fun’._ She replied, “Maybe because one man in a gulag doesn’t mean much to the Navy I guess. Current reaction is to hit back and hard. Anything you can do?”

_It’s risky and if anyone found out I gave you this… Could spell trouble._

“Trouble is my game,” Nicolette admitted. She was willing to accept the help. “What do you have in mind Section?”

_I have the command codes for a couple of F18s. With command verification you could call them off if things get too rough. They are trained to follow them._

“I am curious as to how you got them,” Nicolette replied as she frowned. She glanced at her watch and saw the screen light up with a transmission. It looked like Addy was uploading them so she could access them. “Should I even ask?”

_Probably not. I know you’re one of us but it could be taken the wrong way if word got out. You know the deal about spies and soldiers._

“Tell me about it,” she muttered. He had risked quite a bit with this. She thought he must really be desperate in finding out about what she may know about Alex Mason. She was beginning to think that she was on a wild goose chase with what he asked but she had to admit that she was curious herself. She added, “So you’ll be on the ground?”

_No. I got a job chasing my guy. You know things still go on in the world. I just thought I’d give you a heads up since you have a knack for chasing leads where there are none._

“Well that’s my reputation. It looks like Addy uploaded what you sent to me so I guess I’m good to go.”

_Good. Take care Ryan. If you need anything, give a call._

“Will do and I am checking in on a few things,” she replied not going into detail. He would know what she meant.

_Thanks and good luck. Section out._

Nicolette gave a slight smile and looked up. Sometimes she had a knack for getting friends in certain places. She certainly was going to have to have a talk with Jensen if she could get a hold of him and after the vacation she planned on taking. She headed to the deployment area.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Translations:
> 
> German  
> Guten Morgen (good morning); Halt die Klappe (shut up)
> 
> French  
> Bonjour, Bug. Avoir une bonne chute? (Hello, Bug. Had a ood fall lately?); Rien (Nothing)
> 
> Scottish Gaelic  
> Tha gaol agam ort. (I love you.); Tha gaol agam ort-fhein. (I love you too.)
> 
> All translations are approximate per Google Translate.


	10. Chapter 10

_In position. Let’s take them out together on your go._

Nicolette stood by while MacTavish grabbed his guard and not too far away she could see Roach grab his man and take them out. She then hauled herself out of the water and stripped down to what she needed to move. She had made the joke earlier that she had gone in underwater before and ended up crashing a boat. It produced laughs because of the way she had delivered it and they thought she was kidding.

MacTavish knew that she wasn’t and shot her a look. She responded with a slight eye roll. Roach though ended up whispering, “You really are like your call sign Ryan.”

She looked at Roach and replied, “And you are like a cockroach. You can’t get rid of them.” She grinned saucily at him and watched as he sort of pouted.

It was a new experience for her since she had never really done a water op like this before. The nice thing was that she was off the sub and away from Shepherd. She really needed time to think about things and sort out what her instincts were screaming about with regards to the man. The less than nice thing was that she was strapped into scuba gear and she looked ridiculous. Ghost actually made her take a trip down memory lane when he said, “You really do look like a muppet in that.”

Gaz had said the same thing when she geared up when they were going after Al-Asad five years ago. He had said it in the same manner as Ghost did too. It brought up a momentary regret that she really hadn’t had a chance to know the man before he died and that was when she figured that it was just her that was cursed since she did have a tendency to walk away from situations without so much as a scratch compared to those that she worked with.

She considered it an exception when MacTavish survived his injuries and since then… She was able to reply, “Well I do look like a short man.”

It had Ghost laughing and almost as if he sensed what he said had an effect on her, he gave her a pat on the shoulder. They locked their gazes and came to silent understanding about things. He said, “Nah, just an annoying shite of a Yank.”

“Please to meet you, British Nazi,” she replied as she took her position. She caught him grinning at her and no doubt it had the men wondering, with the exception of Roach and MacTavish how she had been able to do that. It was a secret that she would never tell though it made MacTavish laugh since he knew what it was.

She kneeled and looked around while MacTavish said, “Two hostiles down in section One-Alpha. Moving up to section Two.”

_Roger that Hotel Six._

They made their way up the stairs to the next level. It actually felt good to be part of an op again in Nicolette’s view. While she had gone on ops after Afghan… it was different with the exception of rescuing her brother. When she did her ‘special projects’ for Shepherd she only was allowed one of the team to accompany her. Most of the time it had been either Roach or Ghost. A couple of times she had Archer, and once with Scarecrow. The last one she had the Kid with her. So being with the whole team was really more like the homecoming she wanted.

_Keep it tight people._

Nicolette covered with Roach as they followed MacTavish up. She checked her corners with Roach to make sure that there were no surprises. As far as she knew, the rig had the SAMs rigged and the guards were more or less terrifying the hell out of the hostages. The sad thing was that once you saw one scene, you tend to know them all.

_Got a visual by the railing._

_Free to engage. Suppressed weapons only._

Nicolette spotted the tango that Ghost had spotted. “Got ‘em,” she said and aimed and fired. She waited until the body fell over the railing to fall into the ocean below before lowering her weapon. “We’re clear,” she said.

_Civilian hostages at your position, watch your fire._

_Confirmed S64. Hostages on this level._

Nicolette didn’t let on that she had just heard Addy confirm the sub commander’s assertion. As far as the 141 knew, Addy was more or less like a vast library. Most of the information she supplied sounded like it came from Internet searches when they were on ops. The mission in Iran when they rescued her brother was one example.

MacTavish heard the confirmation through his earpiece and looked at Nicolette with a slight nod. He moved up and replied, “Roger that. Team One moving to breach.”

The first breach had entry points at two doors. Ghost took point on one and MacTavish took the other. The team split to prepare to go in. Nicolette watched as Roach prepped the frame charge and said, “I hope you controlled how much boom went into that thing.”

Roach shot her a look as he set it. “I know what the bloody hell I’m doing.”

“Just asking,” Nicolette said as the charge went off, sending the door into splinters. She went low while Roach and MacTavish went high. As she aimed through her sights it was almost like being reminded how to shoot again and the positioning became automatic.

They took out the hostiles while shooting around the civilians. Nicolette was certain that the whole thing scared them as much as being held hostage did. When you weren’t used to being around firearms, having them fired in close proximity can make a person jumpy. When the person was in a hostage situation, sometimes the unpredictable could happen. Luckily it didn’t since they were able to take down all the hostiles without hitting a civilian.

“Clear,” Ghost said.

“We’re clear,” confirmed MacTavish. He looked around the room and continued, “Hostages secured in section Two-Echo.”

_Roger that Hotel Six. Team Two will secure and evac. Continue your search topside._

MacTavish started moving and relayed to his team, “Ok, move upstairs. Control, we’re advancing to Deck Two.” He started up the stairs taking point.

Nicolette wasn’t that far behind. It was just like back when they really didn’t like each other and she stuck around anyway. She couldn’t help but voice it, “Just like old times right?”

_Just bring your obnoxious self._

Nicolette grinned as she followed the man up with Roach not too far behind and Ghost was bringing up the rear. She didn’t have to be told twice to check her sectors and continued to follow the man up. It was quiet but then again it was highly likely that the Russians didn’t expect someone to launch a mission on an oil rig. Either way it was best to keep a low profile.

_Enemy helo patrolling the perimeter. Keep a low profile, Hotel Six._

“Roger that.”

It really was a mission down memory lane as Nicolette recalled that five years ago she had to hide from an enemy helo then too. It was like that saying of missions blending together even though the objectives may be different. Sometimes memory was a good thing. Sometimes it wasn’t. It had been an interesting discussion during some downtime she had with Roach.

They had been at it again with their literary discussion and they were trying something different. While it was probably overkill to be talking about war in literary discussion, it was agreed upon by them and, as Nicolette later joked, it would allow the other troglodytes to weigh in if they wanted to. It had the men laughing since they more or less joined in anyway with a comment or two and ended up learning something.

Roach had been reading Machiavelli’s _The Prince_. It was a good book in Nicolette’s mind and she had fun teasing Roach about principalities and the fact that England had a monarchy. Roach thought he could get her back and mentioned the Unites States and she pointed out that they were a republic which was different and hence didn’t apply. The conversation then went into trench warfare since it was brought on by a joke. Roach said that she was to dig in.

She replied, “You’ll have to violate Belgium first.”

It was a verbal spat until the main point came up and they both agreed that both sides relied on memory but they failed to take into account the changes that had occurred. When Roach mentioned something about the end of Olympian statesmen with Edward dying, she looked at him with a raised brow. It was then that he pulled out _The Guns of August_ and she gave him a clap for his performance.

Like the book, things were operating on memory. This was a little bit different but the principles still had some merit. She hated to admit that Shepherd was right in that the more things changed the more they stayed the same. Here they were in the modern age and yet there were some things in terms of the tactics of warfare that have not really changed. They were the same thing but… you could say refined. It was an interesting way to look at things.

_Hotel Six, more hostages on your location._

“Copy that.”

The frame charge went on the door and once again they surprised the hostiles with the explosion. Ghost with another 141 member was on the other side clearing that end. It was raining papers as they shot at the hostiles while the hostages seemed to have the sense to drop to the ground. Nicolette scanned the room as the last one went down.

“Clear,” Ghost said.

“Clear,” MacTavish confirmed. “Control, all Deck Two hostages secured.”

Nicolette though frowned and walked over to one of the bodies. She picked up the radio and held it up to listen. It was in Russian with a slight variance in terms of dialect but she got the gist of it. She relayed, “Enemy radio. We’re going to have company and soon.”

“Can you hold them off?” MacTavish was asking if she could speak to try and get them delayed.

“Negative. They’re on their way down now,” she replied as she listened, “And I may be able to look like a man but I can’t sound like one.”

MacTavish nodded. At least they had a heads up on what was going to come down. He looked at Roach and said, “Set up for plan B. Get some C4 on those bodies. Go.”

Roach scrambled to do what he was told while Nicolette continued to listen to the radio. She was trying to tap into the com system to try and anticipate where they might have a better place for advantage. He placed C4 on the bodies while the hostages were taken out and away.

Nicolette listened on the radio and said, “Less than a minute. Move.”

Roach finished and said, “C4 placed sir.”

“Get to an elevated position. We’ll ambush them when they discover the bodies,” MacTavish said as they started to leave the room.

Nicolette wasn’t too far behind as she kept listening into the chatter. She looked at him and nodded that she was tapped in and could listen. “They’re heading down now.”

That was the signal for everyone to scramble to get into position. Nicolette was with Roach and MacTavish. She had her weapon ready to bring up and fire but she was watching like a scout would with binoculars. She pointed out, “There’s the patrol.”

“Hold your fire until they get closer,” MacTavish replied as he peered through the scope of his rifle. “Standby… standby…” He waited until they had the majority of the patrol in the room and when Nicolette told him that they had discovered the bodies with a tap on his shoulder before saying, “Plan B. Do it.”

The following explosion took out most of the patrol and certainly provided a wakeup call. Roach brought up his rifle and aimed to fire while MacTavish relayed, “Control, this is Hotel Six. Our cover is blown.”

_Copy that, intel still indicates hostages and possible explosives on the top deck. Your team needs to secure that location before we can send in reinforcements to handle the SAM sites, over._

“Roger that. Will call in for exfil at LZ Bravo.” MacTavish looked at Nicolette before they jumped off the scaffolding and pushed forward. “Just like old times.”

“Bite me,” Nicolette retorted in good humor. It was definitely another one of those days.

****

Duke had never been on a sub before. He was a soldier and while he had been on a boat, it was on the water, not under it. He was holding up pretty well though. He was just waiting until he was given leave to head back to his unit with Shadow Company. As far as he knew, his job for the lieutenant that he liked was over since she pretty much was on the move again and this time with her unit. So he was actually cooling his heels.

He had wandered to the mess hall that was virtually empty. He had some time to kill actually and decided to just hang out in a place that wasn’t too much like his normal work. He grabbed a cup of coffee and pulled out the computer he managed to get a hold of and view the news reports of the world status so far.

He knew that Russia had attacked home. That was no secret now. He was seeing nothing but news reports from around the world about the attacks from the Russians and the counter attacks that were happening. He would have liked to have gotten in touch with his old unit the Rangers but at the moment that was not possible. They were busy trying to keep the Russians at bay in the capital. Still he would have liked to know how Sgt. Foley and the rest of the guys were doing. He wanted to know how Cpl. Dunn was doing bossing new recruits.

He had known Private Allen back when they finished Ranger school and were going to ship out to their new unit. Allen was good material for a Ranger. He could have been in Delta if he wanted and those guys were cream of the crop. Their selection and training rivaled that of the SAS in Britain. Yet Allen chose the Rangers and Duke knew that it was because of him.

Duke was not really the smartest in terms of book smart but he had it were it counted out in the field. What he didn’t know, he made up for it by studying it and if he had to beat himself up for it then he would. Allen helped him out when it got tough. Allen’s joke was, “Where would you be if I weren’t around?”

Duke’s reply would always be, “Just an Army grunt.”

They always had laughs but they took their work seriously. They made it through Ranger school and assigned to Foley’s unit. First time out they were busy in the Middle East. They still had to keep the security tight even if it was mostly run by the private security firms that were full of guys that had served just like them. The only difference was that their pay was better.

Duke and Allen didn’t care about pay. They cared about serving and that was what they did. They were considered idealists at times but they stuck to their guns. They were a pair and you never really saw one without the other. That all changed the day that Duke got the call that he was going to be transferred from the Rangers.

It had struck him odd since Allen would have been the logical choice. Allen was better than he was. He had failed to see that they were dead even. Either one of them could have been picked but it ended up that General Shepherd wanted him to be a part of his elite unit Shadow Company. It was a new unit that was designed much like his task force.

Duke knew that you just didn’t say no to the general. You got your orders and you carried them out. So he was transferred and didn’t see Allen again. He didn’t mind being with Shadow Company and Allen used to joke that he had gotten out of the boredom that plagued them in the Middle East. It was meant to be their brand of comfort since this was the first time in a long time that they had been separated. They had gone out on separate missions under Foley but they were in the same unit. This was different and Duke often got the feeling that Allen felt that he was left behind but he never showed it. So they kept up their correspondence but they stopped being on the friendly footing that they once were. Duke adapted to it but he felt like he lost a friend.

When he met the 141 and the trio known as the Three Musketeers, he was in for another shocker. The familiarity between them was something that he was not used to having been in the rigid regulations enforced in Shadow Company. He lost that shock and adapted to it but he still showed respect to rank like he did to Lt. Price even though she sometimes seemed put out by it.

He found out about Allen on the news. The footage was grainy and bad but he recognized his friend’s face. He couldn’t believe that the Russians were using his dead friend as an excuse to attack the United States. He didn’t doubt that Allen got into what he did lightly; he did it because he believed in the mission and the current one was to bring down Makarov.

Duke had put together the pieces that Allen had gotten in close to Makarov or the man had let him get close. It was the only explanation he had for the reason that his longtime friend Allen was now dead. It was the sad thing about war though. People died in war and as much as you would like everyone to make it back… you just did what you could. Sometimes it worked out and sometimes it didn’t and that was how they rolled.

_Rangers lead the way!_

“All the way,” Duke muttered to himself as he studied the news articles that had popped up on his searches. He was unaware that the general himself had come in until he sensed that someone was beside him. When he took a look he saw who it was an immediately stood up. “Sir.”

Shepherd had been watching the private since he had come down for coffee. So far the mission on the rig was going well. The hostages were being rescued as the decks were being cleared and even though stealth was no longer an option, they were getting things done. He studied the private with a practiced eye and recalled when he approved of the transfer to Shadow Company. The private showed promise and it certainly made itself be known with that business in Afghanistan.

The mission in Iran was also another moment for the private to shine and he had satisfactory reports from the private and the lieutenant about the mission in Brazil. While the doubt had been speculated to be high since the private didn’t have anything outstanding on his record when he was first recruited, it seemed that it was proven wrong. Shepherd had noticed this and kept his eye on the lad as well as a few others in Shadow Company.

Duke was well aware that he was being held to attention for some time on purpose. He didn’t think that he did anything wrong except to not acknowledge the general’s presence sooner. That would be the only thing that he was guilty of. The upside was that he _did_ acknowledge the general and was standing now at attention.

“At ease private,” Shepherd said. “I’m just passing through for coffee.”

Duke relaxed and at the suggestion of coffee, he made to get the general a cup but was stopped. He looked at the general and ventured, “You wanted to see me sir?”

“Just curious about a few things, Private,” Shepherd replied.

Duke frowned in confusion but answered readily, “I’ll do what I can to help sir. I am just waiting for transport to report back to HQ.”

“I know.”

Duke didn’t say anything and went silent. There was something about the man that threw him off. While he wasn’t one to question orders, he couldn’t help but question the situation he was in and the man himself. Shepherd was usually not one for words and Duke saw that when he used to catch a glimpse of the man while he was checking gear or whatever his task was at the moment. Being up close and personal, it was a different matter altogether and he couldn’t help but feel unease. He did manage to hide it under the bumbling persona in trying to show proper respect to a superior officer.

Shepherd took out a cigar and looked at it. He finally said, “Private, how would you classify your working relationship with Lieutenant Nicole Price?”

Duke blinked at that. What was there to say? He respected her and liked her. She respected him and relied on him to watch her back when they were together on a mission. He replied, “A working relationship sir. I watch her back and she watches mine. Is there a problem sir?”

“Not at all, Private.” Shepherd put the cigar in his mouth. He had his lighter in his hand and was deciding on whether or not to light up. He continued, “I read the reports about what happened in Brazil and how you met up with the task force. Why would the lieutenant tell you to move on alone?”

Duke wasn’t sure why the general was asking this. It felt fishy to him but if he answered, he may put a fellow soldier at risk especially if they were under a separate set of orders and from the same source. He got the feeling that Shepherd was probably testing him on something. He wasn’t one to be disloyal to the unit but he didn’t disregard his instincts either. If he didn’t answer he could be cited and possibly taken into custody. He had to come up with something so he replied, “Sir, I was under the impression that the lieutenant was under a different set of orders. I was merely ordered to provide security as needed. Security wasn’t needed once the initial mission was completed and the lieutenant thought it prudent that I move on to the exfil location.”

It sounded like bullshit and Duke thought it to be the worst. Allen would have come up with something better even though in the end they both would have gotten caught and sent to clean the latrine. He just hoped that he sounded like how he made his report sound when he submitted it and the general would buy it.

“Thought so.”

“Is there something wrong sir?’ Duke had to prompt in order to find out where he stood and where the lieutenant stood.

“Nothing wrong, Private. In fact, I want you to help me out on a few things,” Shepherd replied. He lit his cigar and motioned for Duke to follow. “Are you busy?”

“No sir,” Duke replied as he shut the laptop and picked it up. He fell in step behind the general and waited.

“Private, I want you to do something for me in regards to the lieutenant,” Shepherd began. He looked at Duke and continued, “As you know the lieutenant has been on special assignments for me in order to extract Makarov. With the incident in Moscow, I am concerned about her safety…”


	11. Chapter 11

“Split up. We can flank through these hallways,” MacTavish said. He looked at Nicolette and could tell that she had something in mind. She got this funny look when she was considering something and it usually was one that she was going to do. There wasn’t time to do much since a grenade was thrown in their direction.  “Grenade move!”

Nicolette took a dive in a direction for cover. She looked at her radio and made an adjustment. “Switching to frequency S-series. Addy do you copy?”

_Reading you loud and clear S64. I have been since this began._

“Sarcastic ass,” Nicolette muttered. She looked around and noticed that she had did the whole left behind thing again. If she didn’t catch up MacTavish would be on her ass about it. “Addy I need the blueprints for the rig.”

_I have them on file. What do you need me to do?_

Nicolette pulled out the glasses that Section had given her. True they had worked before but she hadn’t had time to experiment with them. She didn’t know the capabilities or what they were primarily used for. A very small part of her wished she hadn’t agreed to help him out. It just seemed too much of a coincidence that first she was compared to his deceased father and then it was implied that maybe the man was not dead but alive and he had been her training officer.

With the gunfire going around, she knew that there wasn’t time to be picky about the whole thing. She sighed and put them on and said, “Sync up with the glasses Addy. Try and put it on a visual display.”

_Copy that._

It was rather disturbing to see the same wire frame imagery from briefing appear in a small corner of her glasses. Whoever the squints were that developed Addy and the other stuff she had been given… they knew their stuff. She saw the wireframe and then asked, “Addy can we get a read on all persons on the rig?”

_Initiating trackers for 141._

“Whoa.”

The trackers were something that she had more or less worked on. It took time to create the bugs but she did it when she could and in between her special projects. Ever since Shepherd was on the go with being adamant about her tracking Makarov, she wanted to keep tabs on the team. She started developing and building the bugs to be integrated with the gear they used so no added extra weight. The hardest part was getting it attached to the gear since gear was like unmentionables. You don’t mess with it unless you have a good reason or you are a specialist rated to do anything like repair it.

She got around it by making it a tech check on the radios. Aside from being with intelligence she didn’t let her fascination and knowledge of computers and hacking go to waste. Plus as a spy you learned to pick up various skills. While she had always had funds when she was on ops, she learned to be frugal and how to make things work with limited to no resources. It was more of a peace of mind thing and no one questioned her about it.

Later Ghost asked her if there was a reason for the surprise inspection. She of course gave her best lieutenant act and said, “It’s perfectly within my purview to call for one. The captain made it my prerogative.”

Ghost didn’t say anything more but she knew that what she didn’t say was what he was concerned about. It wasn’t that he didn’t trust her; the man trusted her with his life and since Afghan had been trying to make up for his behavior even though she said that they were even. He understood though that there were some things they couldn’t share and not because she didn’t want to… the man understood plausible deniability. Later he told her that he could get her the spare radios to check since they were long overdue for maintenance. She had given him a nod and allowed himself to be hugged by her; another thing that the 141 thought as the strangest thing since she and MacTavish had an incident with a Little Bird and he came back sopping wet and she was pissed.

Looking through the glasses she was given the radio signals and she could identify the team. It wasn’t obscuring her vision so she pushed forward to do her job. “Addy do we have a read on the hostages?”

_Confirmed hostages on topside and possible explosives._

“Nice way to keep everything in check. What is it with terrorists and their bloody bombs?” Nicolette aimed her rifle and took out a hostile that came through the door. She noticed that the others were on the move. “Addy I need a quick way to catch up.”

_Calculating. Done. How do you feel about climbing?_

Nicolette made sound as she saw where Addy was indicating on her glasses. The AI seemed to have picked up on her personality though she seemed to have adapted a bit of MacTavish’s as well. Then again he always called her poppet since the AI preferred to show herself as a young child and use a child’s English voice.

She found the lift she needed and took a running start. She ran up the wall and grabbed the piping and lifted herself up. She was grateful that Ghost had rigged up something for her to practice with. How the man knew that was beyond her unless he had an almost eidetic memory and remembered the near training accident in the death pit.

She had gotten back from her training session on the Little Bird. MacTavish had squared it away to be part of her routine so there would be no problems with Shepherd if he asked. Chief had taken over for Nikolai since that man had his own concerns and she wasn’t going to begrudge him that. Plus he gave her the info on what was going on when he could. Chief was fully recovered and didn’t mind giving her pointers and had tried to tempt her on larger birds. She agreed to it for next time.

Ghost had been waiting for her and said that he had something for her to look at. He made it seem like there was a computer problem or something like that. She remembered that she had wanted to deck the man since she was tired from the early morning training and the flying and plus she had a nightmare and nearly kicked the crap out of MacTavish the night before. So she wasn’t in the best of moods but she was willing to at least take a look and then tell the British Nazi if the thing was worth saving or not.

She was surprised when he took her to near where the pits were. She didn’t tease him like she normally would and just followed until he revealed what was obviously gymnastic rigging. She looked at him and raised her brow. The man merely shrugged a shoulder and said, “Call it a bloody birthday present. Happy Birthday, Ryan.”

It was actually the day before her birthday. She knew that since she expected Kyle to call her at an ungodly hour to sing Happy Birthday to her. He always called right around the time she had been born and when they were kids, he would wake her with the song and his special present. She was surprised Ghost knew it since she didn’t tell anyone and she never mentioned it to MacTavish though he had easy access to her jacket. She didn’t change it when her cover ID was made.

Ghost explained that he decided to keep her in shape. He implied she was out of shape and fat and she slugged him for it but in his way he said that it was something for her to train on. It certainly made her day and she felt less tired that day. Since then she dedicated a portion of the cardio/weight training to that. She even did the floor exercises she learned to warm up and prep. Those skills came in handy now as she climbed up and made her way above the fighting and taking out hostiles where she saw them.

_Let’s go! Those hostages aren’t going to rescue themselves._

“Tell me about it,” Nicolette muttered to herself as she made her way up to the top deck. She called, “Addy sitrep?”

_Hostages confirmed top deck. Team making their way there._

“And I can see that,” Nicolette replied a bit sarcastic. She glanced at the sky and noted that daylight was approaching. She checked her watched and continued her climb. She managed to get on the top deck and jump onto what looked like a cargo container. She was in a good position and spotted it. She called out, “Guys, they’re throwing up a smokescreen.”

MacTavish heard the transmission and relayed, “All teams be advised: these guys are a step up. They’re using thermal optics to see through the smoke.”

Nicolette switched to her backup rifle the SCAR and attached the thermal scope. She scanned the area that was fast filling with smoke. More likely the bastards had thermal scopes as their means of firing on the team. She aimed through the sights looking for a couple of juicy targets and once again thankful that MacTavish made her into a decent sniper though Archer, Ozone and Scarecrow insisted on giving her more fine points.

The hostiles showed up as white blurbs. The problem was that the team showed up like that as well. She called, “Hotel Six, position of smokescreen?”

_South of the building with hostages. Where are you S64?_

Nicolette looked through her scope and noted where the team was and then swerved to look for hostiles. She took aim and replied, “Where I need to be, sir.” She took the shot and took out one and moved onto the next one. “I’ve got visual on multiple hostiles. They are using the crates for cover. Advising to advance with caution.”

_Copy that S64._

_Target acquired twelve o’clock._

_Contact one o’clock._

The transmissions of the team calling out target acquisitions filled the radio. There were even some shouts of grenades being thrown. Nicolette aimed through her scope and fired. “Addy can you get the package ready?”

_Package all set for delivery and I found a port of entry for the data. Are you sure you want to implant it on this mission?_

Nicolette took out a hostile that had an RPG. The hostile had been aiming where Roach was making his way forward. It was a bad moment of déjà vu there since she remembered when MacTavish had gotten hit by RPG fire. Hell she had been hit by it and the concussion from it nearly killed her. She was damned lucky that time but then again she knew she was going out to her death. Still she was a fighter and she really was a mother hen. _And they say Jolly is a dragon._ She replied, “We’re still on a mission Addy. The more Makarov thinks the Fox did this, the more chance we have of getting him to a point we want him.”

_Copy that. Package is prepped and will upload into the rig servers on your go._

“Thank you Addy.”

_Always a pleasure to serve you S64._

Nicolette felt her lip twitch in a slight smile. It was the AI’s way of expression anything remotely in the realm of feelings. It had been trial and error and almost everyone in the 141 had a mishap with her expressions. It certainly produced laughs and almost fist fights when they occurred but everyone at the 141 knew that the AI meant well.

Seeing that Roach was in her sights, she decided to catch up with him. She couldn’t see anyone else and it looked like they might have cleared out everyone. All that was left was to move up and breach the doors. She got up and started moving to find a place to jump down beside Roach and maybe get him to swear a bit. It was always fun to rile the gentle and yet tough soldier. It was a game they played and while probably not appropriate here, there were no rules about timing or anything like that.

She was to get her chance when she caught up and Roach was checking his corners. There was still a lot of smoke in the air and he didn’t see the hostile advancing on his back. Nicolette sprang into action and ran on the balls of her feet and leapt down. She jumped on the hostile while at the same time pulling her knife. She grabbed the hostile and rammed her knife in a killing shot.

Roach had been startled by the noise and quickly turned to see Nicolette standing up and holding her bloody knife in her hand. The hostile was down and on his face was a blank look that was like sheer terror. No doubt she got the drop on him. “Bloody hell Ryan. You spook.”

“Hey,” Nicolette pouted. “I saved your bug ass.”

Roach gave a slight grin and retorted, “And I would have seen it.”

“Yeah right.”

“Are you sassing me?”

“Wouldn’t you like to know? I thought you knew trench warfare, bug,” Nicolette replied as she turned when she heard a sound. She drew her pistol and fired a couple of shots into the chest of a hostile that tried to sneak up on them.

Roach countered by aiming through his thermal scope and saw someone in front and took him out. “Better than you, mate.”

“We’ll see about that. Move up,” Nicolette countered as she pushed forward. “Let’s see you make one mission without a near accident.”

“You know I can. You remember Shanghai?”

Nicolette remembered all right. It was a special project mission and one that certainly produced laughs later. She also remembered the hassle and said, “You and I remember Shanghai very differently… much like Bogota.”

“Don’t get me started on Bogota,” Roach merely replied. He took point while Nicolette covered the flank and they made their way to the door of the room where the hostages were held. He took a look at Nicolette and said, “Nice glasses.”

“Screw you, bug,” Nicolette retorted.

“Contact second floor window,” Roach called.

Nicolette looked up and could see them. She could see that they weren’t in a good position and if they moved, they were not going to have a good time of it. More likely someone would be hit and killed. She relayed, “Hotel Six, contact on second floor of the building. We don’t have a clean shot. Pinned down.”

_Copy. Ghost?_

_I see them. Splash two._

The gunfire was lightening up. Roach had taken out the helicopter earlier so there were no reinforcements. So it sounded more than looked that they had thinned out the guards. There was still the matter of the hostages though. Nicolette looked around and saw piping that was spouting fire. _No shit we are on an oil rig. Not to mention an oil rig platform and you know the stories._

_Hotel Six, be advised, hostages have been confirmed at your location along with possible explosives over._

_S64, it is confirmed._

“Oh that is just bloody perfect,” Nicolette muttered much to the annoyance of Roach’s chuckling. It seemed that she was doomed to be an amusement to everyone on base when she used British expression. So sue her.

_Copy that. All teams check your fire. We don’t know what’s behind these doors._

Nicolette leaned against the wall and looked around. Apart from stragglers, they were clear to go. “S64 at target building.”

_Copy. We’ll get a frame charge on the door and enter on both sides._

Nicolette looked at Roach and asked, “Got any boom?”

“Piss off,” Roach replied in good humor. He had a frame charge and was waiting until they didn’t have any more guards shooting at them.

“You know I love you, bug,” Nicolette teased as she aimed through the scope. She found it neat that she was able to see through the glasses and the scope.

“Aye and I know someone else too,” Roach teased. He got a punch to his shoulder and chuckled.

“We’ll see who’s laughing when I tell Jules that you missed her,” Nicolette teased. She knew that Jules was the cellist that Roach was sweet on. She had set it up on one of their off nights. It was also the time she got Ghost to go against his nature and dance with her.

“You wouldn’t.”

“Try me.”

“Bloody Yank.”

They made their way to the door and met up with MacTavish. Their banter was long overdue since they hadn’t been able to get at it since their escape from Rio. It didn’t mean anything except good natured teasing between best mates. Now they were all serious as Roach rigged the charge and set it on the door. Nicolette and MacTavish were holding their positions to move in when the charge blew.

Like twice before the guards around the hostages raced to fire at the intruders. MacTavish and Roach were quick and Nicolette followed with mop up. They had to check their fire though since it was now plain to see that there were explosives attached to the hostages and to larger payloads. It was a contingency to take out the rig just in case something like this happened or worse. It was rather scary to think about it and Nicolette preferred not to think about it at all until way later when she was in a place that she knew was not rigged to blow up or shoot at her or attempt to take her prisoner.

A sound caught her attention and she automatically pulled her pistol. She flung it out and aimed and fired. She sent a total of five shots into the hostile that had been a sleeper. One of them was in the head. He was down and she righted herself and started moving to make sure that the room was clear. Along with Ghost she said, “Clear.”

“Room clear,” MacTavish confirmed.

Nicolette made a cursory inspection of the hostages to make sure they were okay. She glanced warily at the bombs but Roach assured her that they wouldn’t go off. The man knew his explosives like MacTavish and there was a SEAL team that was coming to take care of that. She signaled MacTavish that the hostages were okay.

_Control, all hostages have secured over. I repeat- all hostages secure._

Nicolette turned to look around and then said, “Addy, prep package and upload.”

_Copy that S64. Uploading now. This will now make it seem the Black Fox had a role in it._

“Technically she did,” Nicolette replied with a mutter. She knew that Ghost and Roach knew her codename Black Fox but that didn’t mean that she wanted the rest of the world to know it. She checked her watch and ended up noticing that the glasses were showing her the update status.

_Proceeding to LZ Bravo over._

_Good job Hotel Six. Marine reinforcements are inserting now to dismantle the SAM sites. Get your team ready for phase two of the operation. Out._

Nicolette turned away and started moving. She was holding her rifle now but it was almost casual. She said, “Addy you ready for phase two?”

_Copy S64. Data uploaded from JSOC contact is ready to go._

“Status update on special project 2-2-beta-echo?” Nicolette looked around as she walked up the stairs. She knew that this was not the usual but with the hostiles neutralized, she didn’t need to be that alert. “Anything on the waves?”

_Still compiling data from official records. Sorting through them on a secondary system. Compilation 32% complete._

Nicolette wanted to curse but even she knew that data needed to be collected and sifted. Addy had her own system and it was one she liked when she say the specs that Nicolette had drawn up. It was a library filing system she was trying to use to tweak what she had on base. Addy decided to commandeer it. It was a lengthy process but Addy had the processing power to sift. “Copy that.”

_There is one contact that may be able to help. It is one of ours and has been involved. Shall I contact him?_

Nicolette thought about it. She had made some contacts who had been in this game a long time. What were the odds of picking one that would know what she was looking for? Maybe her gut instinct was going haywire since she already was nervous being within calling distance of Shepherd and suspected that he was coming up with means to watch her. Still it was also telling her that Section was not a part of this. She sighed and said, “Do it.”

_Copy. Also I am getting chatter that Kingfish is bloody pissed at what happened with his guns in Rio. He curses the Black Fox._

Nicolette didn’t acknowledge it with a reply as she took her seat on the chopper for phase two. She glanced to her right at MacTavish and nodded silently. She was surprised and it was risky but she didn’t protest when he put his hand over hers and patted it gently and held it as the chopper lifted off.

~0~0~

“So you’re saying that you had technology and services from another branch in counterterrorism at your disposal?”

Nicolette looked up at Said. No doubt this story was winding him up far more than the others had. It was what she got for being proactive and creating those contacts. She even knew bloody money launderers that owed her a favor or two. She replied, “He was a client who came to me and asked for help. It was a barter. Goods for services kind of thing.”

“You do realize that unauthorized access has its consequences?” Said looked at Nicolette. He had been surprised to hear that she had access to such resources. It was the kind of thing that had certain politicians afraid; that their operatives who were working to keep the country safe were gaining access to things that they shouldn’t.

“Oh I am well aware of it. It’s nice though that Shadow Protocol has such friendly relations with the various counterterrorist and intelligence agencies. I mean MI6 are swell chaps.” Nicolette made a slightly sweeping gesture when she said that, like it was more sarcasm but she was giving a hint to her interrogator. “Mossad are great and then JSOC and the Devil Dogs… good boys.”

Said looked at her with a raised brow. Clearly she knew things that he was either unaware of or that his clearance wasn’t high enough to know. Then again he had been in the intelligence business long enough to know that the most crucial thing to an operative was contacts. “Fine I get your point. Still you were operating in secret without General Shepherd knowing…”

“Shepherd knew I was following orders and I was. I mean I was looking for Anya and I was playing Makarov with the Black Fox.” Nicolette looked at Said and then added, “You should know that with any op there is that risk you could be backstabbed. It’s why we’re trained in contingency though sometimes you can get surprises like the gulag.”


	12. Chapter 12

_“Sixth Fleet’s mopping up. Time to move in,” MacTavish was saying. He was looking at Nicolette as she stood there as they looked at the map and the image of the gulag. “Long history, this building. Not much of it pretty.”_

_She nodded, “It started out as a castle with an actual dungeon. Never thought they built those anymore. Anyway it was built to withstand any siege. It survived every brutal winter but the occupants weren’t so lucky.”_

_“The Monastery didn’t survive the Purges. Over the last century it’s played host to anyone the government didn’t want but couldn’t kill.” MacTavish looked at the group as they looked at the plans. “Place is filled with living casualties of the last war… which I swear I thought we’d won.”_

_“Convenience,” Nicolette said. “Like a day at the races: back the losing horse and this is where you end up.” She didn’t say anything but looked at MacTavish._

_MacTavish knew what the look meant. It was a place she could have ended up if she hadn’t escaped. It was one of those what ifs that put perspective onto the existing reality and it made him grateful of what he had. He looked at the others and said, “Well Six-Two-Seven is the piece of meat Makarov wants, so let’s cut him loose.”_

The gulag looked like one of those ruins that should have been open to tourist; a means of a reminder that there were things that created a terrible history and should be remembered if only to not repeat them. Nicolette knew though that the Russians tended to reuse and use everything if it had a function. You couldn’t beat out the necessity of it drudged up from the Cold War and on. The shivering thought was that the castle that was now the gulag… it had an eerie feel to it.

Nicolette looked out at landscape and took a breath before looking down at her computer pad. It was another part of her ‘essential’ gear that no one questioned. Being with intelligence even only as a cover had its perks. She was able to get a few details on the attack and a few other things. She had the plan of attack worked out in terms of getting into the castle and making their way down to where Prisoner 627 was. It was easy on paper but having your boots on the ground, it was an entirely different thing. They all knew that firsthand and Nicolette could name a mission or two that had a ‘memorable’ experience like that. She glanced at Roach who was to her left and then at nothing in particular as she put away her computer.

“Trying to be like Ghost now?” MacTavish’s Scottish brogue filled the air and was gentle despite the fact that he was trying to talk over the rotors of the helicopter they were riding. He motioned to the glasses that Nicolette was wearing.

“A challenge to his poor sense of fashion,” Nicolette countered with a grin. It turned mischievous when she shot a look at Ghost. She looked back at MacTavish and then added, “I wanted to see what the appeal was.”

“And?”

“Jury is still out on that,” she replied. She hadn’t told MacTavish yet about them. She wasn’t even sure if he’d believe it. True he was used to it with Addy and some of the things she managed to do with the ops room back on base. He even claimed that her hacking skills were a bit on the scary side. It was when she demonstrated why she was switching a few things over to a closed system.

“Let me know the verdict,” MacTavish replied with a grin. He then leaned in and said, “They look good on you lass. More like them models on your side of the pond only better and prettier.”

Nicolette gave a slight smile and prayed that she wasn’t blushing even though she could feel it. It wouldn’t show since she was wearing camo paint like everyone else with the exception of Ghost but still… It seemed that MacTavish liked pushing the boundaries and she did too. So it was her fault that they sometimes barely toed the line when it came to their relationship. Then again when they talked while on a mission it always sounded like they were getting under each other’s skin but that was how it worked and the 141 knew that.

The gulag came into view and already the helicopters and planes had begun their aerial assault. Nicolette became serious and said, “ADI-S you copy over?”

_Copy S64._

“Beginning assault you know what to do. Bring it online,” Nicolette replied using Addy’s code sign. Even though it was a different frequency, she didn’t want it made obvious that Addy was on top of this too.

_All snipers this is MacTavish, standby to engage._

_Bringing data online. Engagement codes are uploaded to your communicator. Good luck S64._

“Thanks,” Nicolette replied as she looked at her watch. Her motions looked like she was checking her watch for the time but she was actually making sure that Addy’s signal had made it.  She picked up her rifle and stood by to engage.

_Stabilize. All snipers, cleared to engage._

Nicolette aimed through her scope and looked for the hostiles that were on the towers. She could make out the anti-aircraft missiles. They just had to take them out and clear the path for insertion. She shot a couple and took them out. Roach’s shot aimed at what looked like a gasoline container or something. It exploded taking out a couple of hostiles. “Nice job, bug.”

_Shift right._

_Shifting._

The helicopter followed MacTavish’s orders in shifting and stabilizing while the snipers cleared the tower. Nicolette stopped firing to get a good look at the situation. She was studying the Navy jets and their formation. She was also looking at the situation on the ground.

_I see four hostiles on the next tower._

Roach had begun shooting but the tower was taken out by a jet. It flew danger close to their chopper and it looked like they had gotten caught in the jet wash. That was not a good sign as the pilot told everyone to hang on. Nicolette glanced at her watch and then began saying, “Jester 2 Charlie Mike come in over.”

_Jester 2 over._

Nicolette gritted her teeth as the chopper made the adjustment to right the chopper before saying, “Jester 2 was that you firing at the tower?”

_Affirmative._

_Shepherd get those fighters to cease fire immediately! That was too close._

_I’ll try to buy you some time. One man in a gulag doesn’t mean much to the Navy at this point._

_Bloody Yanks… I thought they were the good guys!_

_Ghost cut the chatter and stay frosty._

Nicolette rolled her eyes. If Shepherd couldn’t get the Navy to hold off since he was a high ranking general, then this was shit in her opinion. She prayed that the access that Section would work. She called, “Jester 2 I need you to check your flight path. You almost took us out.”

_Copy that._

“Initiating command codes Sierra Delta four eight niner.”

_Copy that. Sierra Delta confirmed._

Nicolette blinked. That meant she had control of the fighter and his squad. She could get some time bought. She said, “Jester 2 you and your wingman are to hold fire on target building. Boots are going to be on the ground. Maintain surveillance.”

_Copy that Sierra Delta. Breaking off now._

“Relay to other fighters in squad Sierra Delta in command.”

_Copy._

It was scary that she had control of a fighter squad now. They were going to hover above and cover. She could hear the transmission going on about boots being on the ground and to hold off. She couldn’t do much about the other squads but she had one that was thinking she was command. She just hoped that this wouldn’t backlash too severely.

“Look they’re backing off,” Roach commented.

“Shepherd must have bought us time,” Ghost said.

Nicolette made a comment, “Or there are a couple of pilots who realize that our side has boots on the ground.” She shot a look at MacTavish and watched as the realization dawned on his face. He knew now that she was the one that called off one squadron. She gave a slight movement of her head as the chopper settled down to the ground for them to jump off.

They touched down and MacTavish was shouting for the teams to move in. Nicolette shot a brief glance around and followed across the main yard. She had seen the old prison camps from World War II and this kind of looked like them. It was just eerie in her view. Prisons weren’t supposed to be pretty places but sometimes you just couldn’t help but get the feeling that there were darker things there that you couldn’t put your finger on. It was certainly a mindset of too many horror films but… there wasn’t really a better way to describe it.

They started their infiltration but it seemed that there were a few hostiles that had been missed and were firing from the roof. It pinned them down so MacTavish called in for air support. Roach and Nicolette managed to pick off a few that they could see with their sniper rifles. Roach teased her, “I see you’ve improved Ryan.”

“Bite me Bug,” Nicolette retorted with a grin. “I save your ass on the rig.”

“More like snuck up on me.”

“Yeah and your ass was flapping in the breeze.”

_Two-One is in position for gun run._

Nicolette and Roach shared a grin before getting down to avoid being mistaken for the enemy. They still fired to continue to pick off enemy fire as they saw it. Anything to reduce the numbers down was good in the books. After all this was only the outside. Who knew how many more were on the inside and not to mention the possible maze that was in there to get to who they needed. The chopper came in to fire on the roof and they were down.

_Tangos under the barbed wire._

Nicolette lowered her gun and grabbed the one with the grenade launcher attached and tossed it to Roach. “Knock ‘em out Bug.”

Roach took it and popped a few grenades at the hostiles that had been spotted. He had to move up but Nicolette covered with her gun popping rounds off at hostiles she saw moving. They could hear the hostiles shouting in Russian and Roach relied on Nicolette to tell him when to move or he just fired. He knew a few words in Russian but she was the one that was fluent.

They took cover in a room under the area that had been cleared by the chopper and Roach popped grenades while Nicolette fired. She murmured, “Definitely like Bogota.”

“Nothing like it,” Roach replied as he took aim and fired. He then jumped out of the broken window and was followed by Nicolette.

“Definitely Bogota. Just colder.”

“In your dreams.”

Nicolette grinned as she moved with the team to mop up the courtyard. They almost had a close call with an RPG. It landed too close for comfort where they had been taking cover. She knew that it would have given MacTavish a near heart attack. They never argued though about one or the other staying behind. They knew the job and they knew the risks. It was why they accepted it as best as they could… not to mention a few superstitious type of actions.

“This is it. We go in, grab Prisoner 627 and get out,” MacTavish said as they entered the building.

Once in they were met with the guards that had avoided the initial bombardment. Nicolette followed them in firing and shooting. On her glasses the map of the gulag suddenly appeared with a slight childish giggling in her earpiece. Her lip twitched but she was grateful. And the fun was just beginning.

****

“Ghost! Open the door!”

They were in a bad fix. Four squads were converging on their position and they were stuck in the armory. The prisoner they were after was in the east wing and the armory was the quickest way there. The door wasn’t opening.

_Bloody hell, they’ve locked it from the hard line. I’ll have to run a bypass._

“Too late! They’re already here!”

“You should have let me play with it. I know ‘ancient’ hardware,” Nicolette said.

_Piss off Ryan._

“Fuck you too,” Nicolette replied. She took cover and returned fire while talking to Ghost, “The hardware is Cold War issue so you’re going to have to look for the main power…”

_Alright I know the bloody hell what I’m doing and you’ve got more hostiles headed in your direction._

“You just have to piss him off do you?” MacTavish shook his head at Nicolette and she flipped him off. He grinned at that since he was not one to annoy her further. He called out, “We’re going to need more cover. Grab a riot shield.”

Ghost finally managed to get it open after rounding through the auxiliary circuit. There was a little bit more of insults exchanged between Nicolette and Ghost over what he was doing. It ended up with her calling him a British asshole as they started moving. Anyone else who heard it knew better than to say anything. They had seen the sparring and the exchanges from that so to interfere was just asking for trouble even though it was entertaining on some level.

Rappelling down to the lower levels required the use of night vision. Nicolette personally never liked using them since it gave her tunnel vision. That was actually the one serious flaw with it. The tunnel vision didn’t allow for you to move your eyes to see peripheral vision. You had to turn your head to do that and that could spell trouble especially if you didn’t see the hostile and they snuck up on you. However with power down, the best to do was to compensate by making sure your team was with you and they covered your six like you would theirs.

It didn’t help that the Navy decided to start firing. Nicolette got on the horn and said, “Jester 2 advise other units that they are firing on friendlies, over.”

_Copy Sierra Delta. Advising now._

“Son of a bitch,” was all Nicolette could say as she followed the team deeper into the bowels of the gulag. She knew that the US was pissed with Russia but this was stupid. Of course she didn’t have clout and the sort of petulant thought that Shepherd wasn’t doing jack shit crossed her mind.

_Sierra Delta, other units agreeing to cease fire. Jester 2 still maintaining holding pattern._

“Copy that Jester 2. Sierra Delta out.”

The shortcut through the showers was probably the most time consuming of the whole mission. It was also the worst place to be in since they had hostiles on the second floor and they had heavy assault troops on the ground. Attacking head on was stupid so the best approach was to take them from the sides or cook grenades and toss them behind. Nicolette decided to be a little more daring and she knew no doubt she wouldn’t hear the end of it if she ended up getting hit but from her view, this was the worst place to be in.

She directed Roach to cover by taking out the hostiles on the second floor. Roach looked at her with a raised brow to indicate he wanted to know what she was doing. She had reached to grab the one thing she added for no reason except for a gut feeling and just because even though she had a knife as well. It was a martial arts weapon shaped like a scythe. She pulled out her pistol and looked at Roach.

“You are a crazy bastard Ryan.”

“You should have seen me in Russia in the middle of nowhere,” she replied as she timed her chance and ran forward. Her bladed weapon helped to grip and pull down riots shields to allow the team to fire and her pistol helped.

Luckily enough with the grenades going off and the side assaults they were able to take down the hostiles in the shower room. Nicolette finished off one by popping a round into the head and putting her bladed weapon away.

“Just being a pain in my arse eh love?” MacTavish managed in a side whisper.

“Oh you know I’m more than that,” she replied as she followed him to the hole that was in the ground and jumped down.

It was the sewer systems but the best way to get there. Nicolette didn’t mind getting her feet wet literally. She had been doing that lately and she almost wanted to laugh at the joke that created. She didn’t though as she followed MacTavish as he called out to Ghost to talk to him.

_I’m detecting two heat signatures. One of them should be Prisoner 627._

That was the signal for Roach to lay a breaching charge. He shot a look at Nicolette as he set it up. She was reloading her M4 and she grinned almost evilly back. She took position with the others to wait for the charge to blow. Once it went it was the signal to go in. For Nicolette though it would turn out to be a major surprise.

Prisoner 627 had his guard in a chokehold. Roach helped along by taking out the legs and the chest. What he didn’t count on was getting the body slammed into him along with a punch from the prisoner’s right and the business end of a gun pointed at him. He didn’t move since it was clear that the prisoner wouldn’t be able to miss at that distance. He just looked up at the man that had a crazed look in his eyes but also one that said that he was determined to fight his way out.

Nicolette was quick to act and pulled her knife out and had the prisoner in a chokehold with the blade nearby and MacTavish had his pistol out and pointed at him. It was reaction for Nicolette since Roach was down and in danger. Plus there was the possibility that the prisoner would not make things easy for them all.

MacTavish said, “Drop it.”

Nicolette said, “I’d do what he says or this is the least of your worries.”

That seemed to wake the prisoner up. He knew that he was not in a position to try and fight but he would. However the two voices that had spoken… he recognized them. He glanced over and queried, “Soap? Nico?”

Nicolette heard the voice and immediately released the prisoner. She thought he was dead. It was… “Price?” She replied the same time as MacTavish. She was in shock and let MacTavish do the talking as he handed the pistol over to Price.

“Who’s Soap and Nico?”

Worm’s question was never answered since they felt the rumbling. The Navy started firing on them again and they had to move. Nicolette yanked Roach to his feet and shouted that they had to move. She also shouted, “Jester 2 sit rep!”

_Other squadrons have resumed firing. Over._

“Can you get them to stop? We still have friendlies on the ground.”

_Negative._

“Maintain holding pattern until given the order to return to base. Out.”

_Roger that._

That was just perfect. Nicolette had no control over what the other squadrons were doing so they were virtually on their own with this one. At least it wasn’t going to be as bad as it could be. They had to backtrack when their exit became blocked. Nicolette skidded when the exit collapsed but managed to pivot and go the other way. She had her hand on Roach to tug him along in the right direction.

The alternate way was blacked and MacTavish called, “Six-Four where the hell are you over?”

The gulag was collapsing from the bombardment. The quaking from the explosions could be felt through their boots. Nicolette looked around for possible means of escape. The only way out was up when she looked up and saw a hole in the ceiling.

_Bravo Six, there’s too much smoke. I can’t see you._

Debris started to fall and Nicolette warned everyone back. She felt something hit her shoulder when she turned but it wasn’t bad. She turned and saw Roach was down and shouted, “Roach is down.” She flew to him and started trying to move the debris that had fallen on top of him. “Come on bug. You made a bet.”

Price moved in to help Nicolette remove the boulders. He asked, “Can you feel a bloody pulse?”

Nicolette looked at Roach and noticed him move. He started trying to help them move the debris off him. “He’s good.”

Price nodded and looked at MacTavish, “Whatever you’re gonna do Soap, do it fast!”

MacTavish wasted no time. He knew Nicolette would take care of Roach. She was gentler than Jolly at times and she had been learning field medicine from that dragon of a medic. He loaded the flare gun on his rifle and took aim and fired it out of the hole in the roof. It was the only way their ride was going to see them.

_Bravo Six, I see your flare. SPIE rig on the way._

Nicolette nodded and looked over Roach. He had some abrasions that would need to be treated plus a nasty bump to the head. She grinned, “Looks like Jolly will have a field day with you, bug.”

Roach was on his feet in an instant much to her amusement and with a little help from Price. There was no way that he was going to let Jolly get her hands on him if he could help it. Luckily the SPIE rig was there and they hooked up. It was about time too since the building was definitely collapsing. He glared at Nicolette as they hooked up and were yanked out of the building. He said, “You are a mean bastard Ryan.”

Nicolette chuckled as she looked down at the remains of the gulag as the room they were just in exploded. She felt a sigh of relief overcome her as she gave the orders to the fighters.


	13. Chapter 13

“How’s he check out Jolly?”

“He’ll live,” the medic said.

“Good,” Nicolette said before looking at the patient and giving a smack on the shoulder. She narrowed her eyes at the patient and was well aware that if anyone else was around they would have gasped.

“I suppose I deserved that,” Price said rubbing where she slapped him. “Though you were supposed to follow orders.”

“And I did old man,” Nicolette replied. Her expression was firm but it was laced with relief that there was one unanswered question that was finally answered. She couldn’t help but give a slight smile, “And I told you that I could get us both out.” She pulled out a cigar that she had been holding onto and held it out, “So… celebrate?”

“You better not be smoking those stink sticks of yours.”

Price looked in the direction the voice came from and then at Nicolette who was chuckling silently. He noticed that some of the members of the unit were chuckling the moment he was told to report to the infirmary at the safe house. He didn’t know why until he met the medic who was rather formidable as she ordered him about for a checkup.

Nicolette replied, “You never said anything about smelling them.”

There was a smattering of Dutch and something about a cheeky bastard or something that had Nicolette nearly bursting with laughter. Price couldn’t help but laugh with her and he asked, “Still being the bloody Muppet eh Nico? You haven’t changed.”

“It’s nice that you think so,” Nicolette replied softly. She sighed as she handed over the cigar. “You really haven’t changed much either old man. Still the same old fart.” She grinned as Price shot her a look as he jumped off the gurney.

“Cheeky bastard.”

“Soap says the same thing.”

“That’s because it fits.” Price put the cigar in his mouth and followed Nicolette out. He was surprised and yet not surprised to see her with Soap on the same unit again. Even though they insulted each other and perhaps he had been hankering for entertainment in the beginning from his then FNG, he liked to think that he was a good judge of character. He saw that in her when she fought for them beyond thought of her survival and being given orders.

“Well most of the unit seems to think so too,” Nicolette replied as she walked with Price. “I bring my obnoxious self to the field and we go from there.” She pulled out another cigar and a lighter and started walking out. She indicated to Price he was to follow.

Price raised his brow and would have said something when he heard, “If you must have those bloody stink sticks take them outside.”

“You know you like the blend, Jolly. It’s the cigarettes Toad and Worm smoke that you can’t stand,” Nicolette shot back as she put the cigar in her mouth. She muttered to Price, “And yours and Soap’s fault I have such a bad habit.”

“My fault?”

Nicolette grinned as she led the way out. Once they were outside the actual infirmary, she lit up the cigar for Price and then lit hers. “Of course it’s your fault. I never used to smoke until I met you British bastards.”

“And I didn’t start growing old until you fell in Muppet.”

They both shared a chuckle as they took a long pull on their cigars. Nicolette held her cigar while Price took another puff and said, “It is good to see you Price. I thought you were dead… Soap too.”

“I was dead, Nico,” Price corrected as they walked. “I was dead the moment they sent me to that gulag.”

“But you’re still alive.”

“Call it whatever you bloody like,” Price replied, “but every day I was in that hell hole…”

“I can only imagine,” Nicolette offered quietly. She took a pull on her cigar and breathed out a cloud of smoked expertly. Her experience being a prisoner ended up with her in chair and almost at the mercy of the madman she was chasing and he wanted to rape her and probably kill her afterwards. Now she was being hunted and the guy probably just wanted her dead now. “It gets old with me getting into near death situations and walking away without a scratch,” she added with a slight snort as she walked.

“Seems that changed when you dropped in,” Price commented. “Me and Soap are still around… and I heard about what you did. The bastard is stubborn when it comes to getting him to do something. And I had a good feeling about you.”

“Flattery isn’t becoming of you Price,” Nicolette replied with a slight smile. She really didn’t like the fact that she was still considered on point with regards to being Shepherd’s intelligence lackey. She mentally told the general to fuck himself since she wanted to catch up with Price and she knew that MacTavish was going to want to as well. So she might as well make the most of it. “I’m obnoxious and a bloody Yank who happens to be a spook.”

“Who also knows how to be a soldier meaning picking up your weapon and fighting; knowing what it means to be a soldier,” Price pointed out. “I saw what you did for Roach and OP Kingfish was no different.”

“That felt like a failure Price. I left a man behind and I never do that,” Nicolette replied as she stopped to look at Price with a look. “I take care of my own. I always have and when you told me to leave… that was the hardest thing I ever had to do and I’ve hated myself for that. I have since that day.” She turned to look away and stare at nothing in particular. She had told MacTavish that when they first met at the 141 base when she entered this assignment and that man really had a way of…

“And I wondered if you made it out at all. They told me you were dead when they took me and I didn’t want to believe them.”

“I almost did,” Nicolette replied as she rubbed the spot between her breasts as she looked downward in a thoughtful manner. Whenever she thought about that mission, she rubbed her chest in the spot where her scar was. It wasn’t overly big but it held memory in it and it felt big. “But I walked away again.” She clicked her tongue on her teeth as she looked up at Price. “I guess we both had our share of people telling us things.”

Price nodded as he finished his cigar. He looked at the butt and flicked it away. It was followed by Nicolette’s butt. He liked the fact that she could appreciate a good blend of a cigar. He was surprised that she liked smoking them since he always thought she was more of a cigarette girl. She looked sophisticated even when dressed in full gear for an op. It was good to see her again and he was right and wrong about her. She had changed but it wasn’t in the bad sort of way and it had him curious. He figured it was best to get straight to it. “So are you going to tell me what you’ve been doing since… we last saw each other?”

They had started walking again and Nicolette had folded her hands behind her back like it was a stroll. She felt her lip twitch in a slight smile but she sobered. “You know that it was me on that wall with the rest of Bravo Team. I hid… like a coward.”

“Now I have a hard time believing that. The Nico I know is no coward.” Price glanced at her as they walked. “She would have taken the fight to the bastard but with her usual planning.”

“And it was planning that got us in trouble during Kingfish.”

“And yet we’re here still you bloody Muppet.” Price couldn’t help but smile when she chuckled. He then asked, “So what are you doing here now? I hardly think your boys on your side of the pond were going to extend you being on loan.”

“Actually it was a renewal contract,” Nicolette replied. She gave a slight smile at what she said before continuing, “Makarov was the big threat and the Company wanted someone in there… and there was still concern about the fact that… I’m still wanted. More of a security measure even though I was fine with other things.”

Price looked at her. “You were doing ops?”

“Someone still has to gather intel and I know more about the ultranationalists than anyone else that may be working here.” Nicolette shrugged her shoulders at that. She sighed, “Listen, while I’m here I am a lieutenant that works with military intelligence. Shepherd has been using my expertise to draw out Makarov and planning the ops and basically I have free reign with using the resources at my disposal.”

“You haven’t done anything…”

“What do you take me for old man? I’m not like that… Soap said as much before he kicked the crap out of some wankers.” She looked around and to the side a little. She looked at him and said, “There is a reason I was assigned to the 141. Apart from being the intelligence officer…”

“You’re doing your spook thing.”

Nicolette looked at Price and then around. “There are concerns about certain things…”

“You don’t trust Shepherd either,” Price interrupted. He looked at her in the eye and knew he had her full attention. She wasn’t even attempting to hide it either. He offered, “I didn’t since the fact he didn’t do shite with the gulag op.”

“Well my people are pissed at the Russians for attacking us,” Nicolette offered. She shrugged a bit. “I am technically supposed to give you a debrief on everything. Me being the librarian again.”

“Far as I know you’re doing fine. Keep going or I’ll give you something to be a librarian about.”

It was ridiculous the way it came out but it proved its point. Nicolette couldn’t help but chuckle though. A weight had been lifted off her shoulders once she realized that Price was alive and he didn’t blame her in the least. In fact he was more concerned about her making it out. So they both could move forward now. Smiling she said, “Well after OP Kingfish, I went dark officially but I was still working on tracking down Makarov. They were looking for the obvious and I went with the not so obvious. That was when it was decided that I… go back on the grid.”

“And they know your cover is the most wanted by the bastard?” Price looked at her with a raised brow.

“I am not arguing logic. I tried when they tracked me to Hereford.” Nicolette shrugged her shoulders in an ‘oh well’ gesture. “Anyway I was assigned to the 141 to assist in tracking down Makarov as an intelligence officer. So I’ve been doing that and going after the bastard but doing what I do best and that is chase a lead where there are none.”

“I heard. Something about the Black Fox screwing with a cartel in Bogota, taking down gunrunners… what the bloody hell have you been doing?” Price looked at Nicolette like he couldn’t believe at what she had been doing.

“Doing my job old man,” Nicolette replied. “I followed the money and took into account the type of person Makarov is. Took out a few bad guys in the process…”

“And been making life hell by using your old cover.”

“Shepherd endorsed it. Technically he wants me to find the Fox but he gets it that the Fox is a spook and not easily found. He doesn’t know it’s me though.” Nicolette paused and she looked at Price. “And Shepherd knows that someone named Anya exists. He wants me to find her too but actually find her.”

Price was starting to see where this was going. He didn’t trust the general by a long shot and it was clear that Nicolette didn’t either. She had been around the man more than he had and he trusted her judgment. He didn’t like it one bit. “Well that’s going to have to be the back burner now,” he said. He looked at her and added, “That is off limits. You’re gonna have to get creative.”

“You make it sound so easy,” Nicolette drawled in sarcasm. “Because as a spook my job is to sell the lie.”

“Well I’m not about to force a friend to be put into a compromising position. Though you knew that you bloody Muppet.”

“I do old man.” Nicolette couldn’t help but smile her thanks at Price. “It’s good to have you back.”

“Likewise, Nico.” Price paused a moment and studied her as she held a parade rest stance. She was waiting for something like a question to be asked. He decided on, “So what the bloody hell were you thinking when you picked the name Price for a cover?”

Nicolette grinned in response. MacTavish knew the truth about that. She replied with a question, “Do you really want to know?”

****

The communications room in the safe house was not really state of the art but it served its purpose. Plus there was the fact that Nicolette knew what she was doing and made a few adjustments. It certainly had Price look on impressed. As far as he knew she was good with the spook thing of selling the lie and then turning around and fighting like a soldier. He took a moment to look at the others there.

Ghost he remembered from OP Kingfish. It seemed that the man was still around and kicking and he seemed to have fallen in the same trap as everyone else regarding Nicolette. He liked her as a friend for occasionally she would mutter for him to shut up and called him whatever it was she called him and they seemed to enjoy it. MacTavish though was another matter and Price spent a majority of the wait time observing his former sergeant.

He really had no idea why he had his then FNG keep an eye on Nicolette that fateful night five years ago. The only reason he knew at the time was to just make MacTavish’s life miserable as was the usual case when it came to FNGs. He certainly got a few laughs out of the whole thing since the two of them seemed to do nothing but argue and in the middle of a bloody firefight. No one faltered though and they both did their jobs. It was pure comedy.

The more Price thought about it, he figured it was something else but it was so farfetched he would have been daft to think that. As he watched his former sergeant watch her, a few things came to mind. He noted how while MacTavish appeared to have a professional front, he and Nicolette always seemed to look at each other like they were keeping a secret. He expected that they had grown into a comfortable friendship. OP Kingfish convinced him of that and in fact they all had a good laugh.

The year that they spent together they both admitted in a more clinical fashion that it was nothing more than training. Price never asked how she managed to get that done and in truth didn’t want to know. Some things were best kept a secret. Looking at everything now… he suspected a few things; it would be something to ask MacTavish later.

“Uplink complete,” Nicolette said as she tapped the keys. The screen on the small computer pulled up a small window for the transmission. “You’re good to go, sir,” she addressed Price. To the image of Shepherd she said, “General Shepherd you’re online with Captain Price.” She stood back respectfully with her hands folded behind her back.

Shepherd’s face looked at the group and found the person that he wanted to speak to. “Back from the brink, Captain.”

“Out of the frying pan is more like it,” Price replied with a serious expression. It didn’t tell anyone what he was truly thinking and most people wouldn’t be sure if they wanted to know in the first place. “This world looks more like hell than the one I just left.”

Shepherd nodded in agreement to that, “We thought we’d recover the ACS before the Russians could crack it. We were wrong.”

Price didn’t say anything about that. From what he had been able to get from the briefing that Nicolette handed him along with her answering questions, she was the one that wasn’t wrong. She even relayed her concerns about the thing being tampered with when MacTavish and Roach did their mission. So if anything Shepherd was wrong but who was going to argue? Not now at least.

“Then Makarov turned the US into his scapegoat. Next thing you know, there’s flames everywhere,” Shepherd continued apparently not aware of the thoughts that were going through Price’s mind.

Price nodded and then plugged in the module that Nicolette had given him. It was what he had requested and he was surprised she was able to come up with it that fast. It was then he learned about a friend of hers that knew how to find information. He still was trying to wrap his mind around it. He started uploading the information.

Shepherd’s image frowned a bit as he looked down to look at the transmission. “What’s this image you’re sending me?”

 _You should know. Hell, even I know and I’m not a damn soldier._ Nicolette stared ahead blankly not giving away her thoughts. It was rhetorical the question but she never could help but respond.

Price was the one that spoke, “You wanna put out an oil fire sir, you set off a bigger explosion right next to it. Sucks away the oxygen. Snuffs the flame.”

Nicolette knew what Price meant. When she fulfilled his request for information, it started to click for her. The fact that it was something that usually set people on edge the minute the firepower was announced… it was enough to have anyone do a double take. She certainly did the first time around and Addy actually said something about it. The AI also went into the technical aspects of it and she posed a question to the AI and the response was astounding.

Shepherd’s expression turned stern. It appeared that he knew what was going on. Even though it wasn’t spoken, it sounded a bit outrageous to him. “Price, you’ve been locked away too long. Better get your mind right son.”

 _And if you had any idea what the fuck I’d been up to…_ Nicolette made a slight movement that could have been interpreted as being uncomfortable with the situation. She felt MacTavish’s hand grasp hers gently and hadn’t realized that he had sidled up beside her until then. He really was good with stealth when he wanted to be and he always seemed to know when she needed reassurance of some kind even when she didn’t indicate she needed it. It made her love him more as it did now as his fingers stroked her hand. She looked forward with a firm expression that didn’t betray her current feelings. She knew what was coming next.

Price blinked slowly. This was going to be a tough sell to everyone. He knew Nicolette knew what he had in mind. She wasn’t stupid even though she was surprised at it initially. He knew she changed from the last time he saw her. She had that look in her eye that said she would do what it took and if the extremes, it was only last resort. He looked at the image of Shepherd and asked, “Shepherd, are you willing to do what is necessary to win?”

“Always,” came the answer in a drawl.

Price nodded, “We got ourselves a pretty big fire. Gonna need a huge bang.” He watched as the same images that were showing on their screen was showing up on Shepherd’s end.

“You’ve been in the gulag too long. Focus on taking out Makarov.” Shepherd looked over towards Nicolette as if to ask her to step in.

Nicolette knew that look. It was the one that Shepherd always shot her when she was needed to make sense of things and to get skeptical troops into line. He was silently asking her to get Price into line. Like the hell she was able to do that. The man had his own way of thinking and in this case she happened to agree with him. Still she wasn’t going to risk casting suspicions on her even though she was certain that there were plenty.

Silently she stepped forward and looked for the words that always seemed to convince the others to follow, “Sir, in all actuality we have to start thinking differently. We like to think that we are better and try being noble but we have to be realistic. The Russians are well known for putting everything on the line. They play to win. We have to do the same.” She paused to glance at Price who was looking at her with a raised brow. She then continued, “Sir, we have no time. We need to end this war today.”

Shepherd looked at her and his gaze seemed to pierce right through her as if to see whether or not she was being corrupted. She had spoken as always and given the logical argument. He finally said, “I’m not asking you Price.”

“Please consider,” Nicolette replied firmly and not breaking eye contact. She had a couple of situations like this before. Hell she had stood up to warlords, drug dealers and still had to deal with Alexi Yeltsin on occasion and she did it with a gun pointed at her. She could handle this. “Russians are known to hit with brute strength in sheer numbers. We are losing at this point…”

“That is an order, Price. You are to…”

Price had leaned over and abruptly cut off the transmission. “Looks like we lost our connection,” he said as he stood up straight.

“And pissed him off,” Nicolette muttered as she sighed. Oh well then. There was still a job to do and she aimed to do it. She tapped her earpiece to switch it on. She walked away and started talking, “Addy, do you have logistics ready?”

Price watched as Nicolette walked away and he was standing alone with MacTavish. Ghost had wandered off as if trying to understand what was going on but he also seemed to take a protective stance over Nicolette. It gave some measure of privacy as Price said to MacTavish, “Soap, you know Nico is right in her assessment.”

“I do Price. She’s never let me down about it,” MacTavish replied. He figured that there was more to it and it was a ballsy move. He trusted Price though. “I’ll stand by ya old man.”

“All I can ask.” Price paused a moment and then asked, “About Nico… something going on I don’t know about?”

“Just a rough year. One mission… bad injuries,” MacTavish offered. It wasn’t a lie per se since it was the truth. And she occasionally had a nightmare especially if she had been working too hard. He just wasn’t ready to hear it from Price if he even hinted at their relationship and he knew the song and verse. “She’s a stubborn arse like before.”

Price had to admit that MacTavish was good. He never would have thought that his ex-sergeant would be capable of telling but not telling. Then again they had a couple of years to come up with something when they were forced to explain something. Still he could see that MacTavish was hiding something and said, “And I’m sure you know who she works for.”

“You don’t have to remind me old man,” MacTavish replied with a firm look. He didn’t want to appear snappish but he would if he had to. He had the same argument with her. She had pointed out that she was a spy and he was a soldier and a recipe for disaster. He was willing to chance it and so was she and it was working out so far with a couple bumps. The point was that they were trying.

Price merely nodded, “Alright Soap. Not gonna say anything. Just remember I’ll shoot you if something goes wrong.” He gave a grin.


	14. Chapter 14

There was a certain thrill about jumping out of a plane and then pulling the line for the chute. The freefall was an adrenaline rush that really couldn’t be matched. Nicolette loved the feel of as much as she loved extreme snowboarding and that was strange since she had just barely learned how in the past year… More of an opportunity and being thrown into the fire.

It was a mission in Switzerland for one of her recon projects for Shepherd and a bit of touching bases with a few people. It was one of the few missions where MacTavish had accompanied her since it was more of an off the books thing. It was one of the few times that she was grateful that Shepherd had given her such leeway with her primary mission and that was to make hell with the Black Fox cover. It was also an excuse for MacTavish to be alone with her and fully express his feelings for her going so far as to rent the same boarding house room in Geneva. It certainly was memorable.

The mission was to meet up with an old friend who had ties to the ultranationalists. It was a strange sort of relationship between him and Makarov but it worked and he was still alive. One of her concerns was that Makarov would kill him because she knew of their relationship now. He reassured her that it was fine and he was able to relay a few things to her. The upside was that her concern was really playing him. She gave a little bit on the Black Fox knowing that he would relay it to Makarov and whatever she pulled from her conversations with him, she used to gather more intel.

They met a contact of her contact near the snow covered mountains and it ended up being a little more than she expected; it was an ambush. They had to get out of there fast and the quickest way down was sledding or skiing. They ended up running into a group of kids that were snowboarding. They offered their boards. There really was no choice since it was the quickest way down back to the city and then blending in and getting to the exfil point.

She took to it like a fish and was able to give MacTavish a hand down since he was not sure of it. She did have to leave him and double back when she realized that they were being followed and on snowmobiles. In the end MacTavish was able to get one of those and they took care of their tail. She was still on the snowboard and had attached a rope so they wouldn’t get too far separated. It was one of those stories that ended up being the kind that you thought was total bullshit. Ghost had nothing to say on the subject except that snowboarding was the kind of crazy shite an annoying cheeky bastard like herself was into doing and he said it with a grin. Roach believed her though and asked her if she did that Yank thing called surfing.

Unfortunately MacTavish had heard that comment and later he teased her saying that he would like to see her surfing and more specifically in a bikini. It was a punch worthy retaliation which she promptly gave but he never missed an opportunity to tease her about it especially when considering taking leave of duty. Snowboarding though definitely ranked up there with parachuting into a mission and if there was ever a mission that involved surfing, she might consider it. As it were she needed to link up with Price and Roach since they got separated on the way down. She looked through her glasses and then called, “You got something for me Addy?”

_Trackers are online and syncing up positioning. Also there is a message from Section. It says ‘Call me.’_

Nicolette shook her head as she looked around the snow covered landscape. She replied, “Alright then. Well time to get going.” She started walking until she came to a tree. She had an idea and started working.

_Price, I can barely see Roach and Nico’s chutes in my satellite feed. Too much interference. Do you see them, over?_

Nicolette blinked as she looked around. She started moving and went to work to catch up with Price and Roach since she could see them on the tracker screen. Even with the satellite interference, the signals were coming in strong with occasional static. That was a good thing. She finished what she was doing and put it on the snow and started to move.

_Roger that Soap. I’ve found Roach. He appears to be intact. No sign of Nico yet._

Nicolette felt her lip curl in a grin as she radioed, “I’m coming in from the east Price.”

Price looked in the direct she said she was coming in along with Roach who was making sure his gear was intact. He saw a figure moving throw the snow at a pace that wasn’t walking or running. He frowned and held his rifle ready just in case. He was surprised that it was Nicolette and she was… What the bloody hell was that thing?

Roach watched Nicolette come in and grinned at the sight. She shifted her weight on her improvised snowboard made from tree bark and turned to meet them. She glided over the snow adjusting her position until she came to a complete stop in front of Price and Roach and said, “That was pretty good.”

Price made a slight face that was amused as Nicolette pulled out her rifle to get going. He radioed, “I found Nico and she’s intact too. She decided that it was all fun and games.”

“Quickest way, old man,” she muttered.

Price shook his head and continued, “We’re going to head northwest to the sub base, over.”

_Copy that. The rest of the team landed near Ghost, pretty far to the east._

“Tell them to proceed with the mission,” Price replied as he looked at the choppers in the air transporting supplies. This was going to be tricky. “We’ll regroup if possible.”

Nicolette looked overhead at the choppers. She looked in all directions as she crouched near Roach and Price. She checked her watch and then looked around. This was going to be interesting. She remembered when they went looking for Griggs when he got separated. This time it would be different. She looked to Price for his lead.

“Roach, Nico, follow me and stay out of sight,” Price said before taking off through the snow covered trees. He didn’t get far when he spotted a patrol, “Contact. Enemy patrol thirty meters to our front.”

Nicolette was between Price and Roach with Roach covering the flank. She kneeled by Price to wait for Roach to move up and took a glance at the patrol. It was to be either stealth or shoot them. Either way they had to get past the patrol. She looked ahead and said, “I see five men.”

“I see them,” Price confirmed feeling a wave of approval. Nicolette was not a trained soldier but it seemed that she had learned much and while virtually an amateur, she was able to get business done.  It sort of felt like the pride a father felt for his offspring when they succeeded in something. “Automatic rifles, frag grenades. One German Shepherd.”

_Dogs. I hate dogs._

“Try telling that to Ari,” Nicolette muttered knowing that Price would eventually ask about it later. “He certainly knows how to go for those like him.” She heard Roach snicker behind her and knew that she was going to get it later but she liked to play hardball too.

_The exception lass._

Price couldn’t help but chuckle. Even over the comms Nicolette and MacTavish found a way to get at each other. He commented, “These Russian dogs are like pussycats compared to the ones in Pripyat.”

_It’s good to have you back old man._

“Roger that,” Price replied as he took cover behind a tree. Across the road was Nicolette and she was peering down the road. He saw her lip twitch at the last transmission. She had said something similar when she spoke to him alone. He turned back to view the patrol and said, “Let’s follow them quietly and pick off any stragglers. Patience. Don’t do anything stupid.”

Nicolette managed to get close with Roach and muttered in an imitation of Yoda, “Patience for the Jedi it is time to snipe as well.”

Roach couldn’t help but laugh silently. She was really on a role and he was thinking it was because she was back with the 141 and they were together on missions as a team again. She had always said that she preferred team missions over her recon assignments. Her joke behind Price’s back was an indicator of such. He put a finger to his lips to shush her but she was laughing silently with him. Her hazel green eyes were twinkling even though they were on serious business. He managed to say, “You really are on a roll today Ryan.”

“Only because I just had two great thrills in one day,” she replied as she followed Price through the snow covered forest.

“Convoy coming. Get out of sight. Let them pass.”

It was automatic for Nicolette to drop to the ground and hide in the scrub. It was not graceful in her opinion; it wasn’t a contest really. She stayed low and Roach was crouched beside her. Price was in the lead and peering from behind the tree. Nicolette could hear the trucks going by on the road. Her eyes were on the patrol that was walking in the opposite direction of the convoy. She might as well keep her eye on them and Price could watch out for the convoy. She looked through her sights to keep tabs.

Price watched as the convoy went past them. He stayed behind the tree while keeping an eye on the passing vehicles. When they had gone, he tapped Roach who in turn tapped Nicolette and they moved towards the road. Price halted again when he spotted two of them. He whispered, “Two of them have stopped for a smoke. Roach take one and I’ll take the other.”

Roach shot a look at Nicolette and silently asked a question. She returned it with a raised brow and Roach gave a nod. He adjusted to provide cover just in case things went south while Price and Nicolette adjusted for their shots.

Nicolette lifted her rifle and aimed through the scope. Even though Archer, Ozone and Scarecrow had given her finer points of sniping, she always remembered back to the first time MacTavish first showed her. That was her base. The other stuff came later. She aimed for the head on the one on the left. Aim. Breathe. Squeeze.

The tango went down and Price’s fell shortly afterwards. “Good,” Price murmured as he got up and continued forward towards the sub base.

Roach gave a shoulder pat to indicate that it was a good job before following Price. Nicolette brought up the rear with a slight grin on her face. She covered their flank while Price led the way and checked to make sure that no one spotted them.

They halted a few meters ahead when they came across the dog patrol. Price went prone and Roach took cover by a tree. That left Nicolette out in the open but she took a leaf out of Price’s book and went prone too. She looked ahead to get a feel for the patrol.

“Roach, you take out the handler and his dog. Nico the one on the far right,” Price gave the order.

Nicolette aimed through her scope to locate the patrol guard on the far right. He was a bit further than Price’s target even though they were roughly at the same distance. Still it felt like it was a test as she laid there prone on the snow. It wasn’t too bad since she had been face first in mud, rivers and once behind a dead body… it was all part of the job. Aiming through the scope she took aim and fired and the tango dropped.

“Beautiful,” Price commented. He had seen Nicolette take down the tango. Maybe it had been a bit much to presume that she was able to snipe like the others. The only action he ever saw was when they were out in the open and the hostiles were firing right back at them. He had been right in thinking that she had changed. She had picked up a few new skills and she was a bit more direct though she was like that when they first met. There wasn’t time to go more into it and Price tapped Nicolette on the shoulder and got to his feet.

They had to run across the bridge since that was the most vulnerable position. Price had the lead and Nicolette was right behind him with Roach covering the flank. Nicolette kept up easily and paused next to Price. She spotted something and took a closer look. She said, “Price, ahead. Looks like we may have some trouble.”

Price looked in the direction that Nicolette gestured in and took in the sights. It looked like things were going to get a little bit dicey. He called it in, “Soap our intel was off. The Russians have mobile SAMs.”

_Roger that._

“Have you found us some transport?” Price continued to lead the way up the road.

_I’m working on it. Out._

“You could just let me give a kick in the ass,” Nicolette offered as she kept up with Price.

“Like in Altay?”

Nicolette shrugged her shoulders, “Just a suggestion. My talent is my obnoxious self.”

Price gave a dry chuckle, “No doubt but I need your attention down here.” It would have been entertaining to see them at it again. He was well aware that she could be infuriating on purpose and she never lost sight of the job. Still they needed to keep it together.

Nicolette was well aware of that. It was just a suggestion and humor had always been her way of dealing with a situation even when she was in charge of an op. This time Price was in charge. “Lead the way old man.”

****

“Soap, what’s the status on our air support?”

_A UAV loaded with AGMs is en route to your position._

Price nodded as he replied, “Roger that.” The ridge they were on was perfect. There was a good view to lay down cover fire and see and they were well away from the target. “Roach take control of the predator drone.”

Roach did as he was told and was going to target but the drone was knocked out of the sky. It sounded strange to hear Nicolette exclaim, “Bollocks.” She said at the same time Price did though and it was like they had almost the same thoughts. Roach didn’t think much of it as he looked at the landscape and switched to his rifle.

_What just happened?_

“There’s a mobile SAM site in the village. It just shot down our Predator,” Price relayed, “Soap we need another Predator.” He motioned for Nicolette and Roach to follow and slide down the slope towards the village.

“Check your fire! Check your fire! Friendlies coming in at your twelve!”

“Yeah I see ya, British Nazi,” Nicolette replied since she was the one on point. Having slid down fast, her landing put her past Price and on the move. It’s what she got for being the small man of the group as she joked.

Ghost was coming in with the rest of the team. He spotted Nicolette and replied, “Trigger happy Yank.”

Ghost came up to Nicolette and fired at the guards around the SAM that he and the rest of the team took out. He shook his head since she looked like she had been out playing in the snow rather than being on a mission. It wasn’t her fault that they had to run from a heavy armored vehicle that fired at them and take out a few patrols on the way there. She gave a slight look and said, “Nice work on the SAMs but did you have to do that?” She gestured at the now destroyed heap.

“No pleasing you, is there?” Ghost muttered under his breath. He knew she liked to salvage the parts from the SAMs. For whatever reason he never asked but eventually he got to find out. He looked up as Price and Roach caught up and said, “We better get moving. Those explosions are gonna attract a lot of attention.”

It wasn’t a moment too soon. Russians were firing on them and it was a rough firefight. Nicolette switched to another rifle to aim with, saving her sniper rifle for any sign of the enemy trying to snipe them. She stayed with Price, Roach and Ghost as she fired on the hostiles. The buildings they were using for cover helped but splinters of wood went flying. She glanced over at Ghost and then Roach and they both nodded.

Price had been shouting for cover when he noticed Ghost, Roach and Nicolette link up and moved in formation. He heard some of the others shouting about the Three Musketeers making way. It seemed a lot had gone on while he was away. He relayed, “Soap, we’ve linked up with Ghost and the rest of the team and looks like they’re already busy.”

_Roger that. The second Predator is almost in position. Make it count. These things don’t grow on trees._

“Try telling that to the Russians,” Nicolette quipped as she took out a hostile.

“I think we did,” Ghost commented as he checked the area from his standing position above her, “Or rather you did. You’re the one who knows the bloody language.”

Nicolette smirked as she glanced at the rest of the team. They were a man down in terms that he was hit. He could still shoot. That was the good thing. One of the others got him good to go for the fight. She looked ahead and pointed out, “Base is up ahead, Price.”

They moved out and Price found the sub, “There’s the submarine. Right below that crane.”

“You know what that means bug,” Nicolette said as she cast a look at Roach. “Soften up the defenses with the Predator.”

“Trying to take my job again, mate?”

Nicolette gave a smirk at Ghost and sauntered past. “Just trying to help you out,” she said as she walked right by. She took up position near Price and surveyed the area. She asked, “Sure about this?”

“You doubting me now, Nico?”

“I don’t doubt you, Price,” she replied. She adjusted her grip on her rifle. “I am just nervous because of what it is.” She refrained from going into specifics since she didn’t want to cause a panic to a mutiny with what she knew Price had in mind. “Even Addy gave me the specs and the results and still I am nervous.”

“You wouldn’t be you if you weren’t. You also know what needs to be done.” Price glanced at Nicolette who was staring ahead taking in the last moment of peace before they disturbed it. He knew it sounded harsh but it was the honest truth. “I know you think things through. Makes you a better spook than I’ve ever met.”

“And how many have you met? Don’t even count MI6,” Nicolette teased with a grin as she finished surveying. “I know what you mean Price. I can’t help but worry but… this will work.” She glanced back and said, “Bug, you better watch out for the flashing strobes. I don’t want to be blown up today.”

“I know what the bloody hell I’m doing,” Roach shot back as he pulled the controls out. He had to time this just right. Once the first shot went off they were going to be pushing it to max and beyond. He directed the first shot to helicopter. It was best to take that thing out since it could mow them down and mission failure. He got the shot off and watched as the missile hit its target.

_That got their attention. The whole base is on alert. You better hurry. You’ve only got a couple of minutes before that submarine dives._

“You just love to put the pressure on,” Nicolette commented as she brought her rifle up and returned fire on a couple of hostiles that were aiming at them.

The fight was on and they were on a race to get to the sub. It was just another day on the job for the 141 as they pushed through the yard using the crates and snow covered machinery for cover. Roach was able to thin the numbers and artillery through the use of the predator. Nicolette or Ghost covered him when MacTavish radioed that the AGM missiles were online since he had to focus on the controls. The Three Musketeers were at it again.

_You’re halfway there._

Nicolette shrugged her shoulders as she took out another hostile. “Addy, sitrep?”

_The submarine is preparing to dive. You need to hurry S64._

“Well if you can do something like delay it or something. Or why don’t I just pull a magic weapon out of my ass,” Nicolette groused. They were pushing forward but it seemed that the closer they got to the sub, the more intense the firefight was.

_Crude remarks don’t get you anywhere S64._

“No time for you to berate mommy,” Nicolette retorted, “Can you do anything?”

_Not from my position but I do have the schematics for that class of sub on my library database. Pulling them up._

Nicolette saw the plans appear on her glasses. This was really weird in the good sort of way. She had seen the plans before hand when they were planning this mission. Addy was working the specs and pointing out various points. Unfortunately none of those were going to help since it required that they be in the sub for them to work. “Those won’t work. Thanks for the assist Addy. Go bother MacTavish.”

_Copy that. On standby._

The team pushed forward with Roach continuing to lay down predator missile hits. Each one confirmed multiple EKIAs. It reduced the danger of the getting pinned down at various locations. They made it to where they needed to go and Price called, “I’m going for the sub. Nico, come with me. Cover us from the guardhouse on the west gate.”

That left Roach, Ghost and the rest of the team to provide cover for their two teammates. They raced up the stairs to take a vantage point. Ghost directed the positions for the team and Roach pulled out the controls to get in another missile attack.

_We’re inside the sub. Cover us. We need a few minutes._

Roach was happy to give them that. That was his best mate down there. No doubt she was doing her intelligence thing and downloading them on that computer pad of hers. She never passed up an opportunity to get information. He did find out she spent most of her days going through what she collected and writing reports when she wasn’t doing anything for the 141 or Shepherd.

“Contact to the north, on the dock, next to the sub!”

Roach went to provide sniper cover. There were a few down there. He thought he saw one with an RPG and took him out. With the vehicles he had destroyed, the numbers were reduced drastically. They still couldn’t let up.

“Price, Ryan! Are you there? The silo doors are opening. I repeat, the silo doors are opening,” Ghost reported. “Come in. They’re opening the silo doors! Hurry!” Ghost was frustrated that he wasn’t getting anybody and was screaming into the coms.

_I know._

Roach heard his friend’s voice and the tone had him turn. He turned just in time to see the missile being launched.  Ghost shouted, “Missile in the air! Code black! Code black!”


	15. Chapter 15

Nicolette knew that being asked to come along with Price was part of her cover. She had filled him in on what she had been doing. If he hadn’t said anything then it would have looked suspicious considering the team knew she was with intelligence and that she was good at getting to the heart of the techno crap that housed world secrets. By being asked it was assumed that she would collect data on what the enemy was doing and that was what she did.

She and Price made it into the sub with the rest of the team covering. The trick was to get where they needed to be and that was launch control. She generally disliked subs and could understand why women were restricted from service on those things. She kept her head though and followed Price while pulling out her computer pad.

Once inside launch control, she pulled in the computer and began accessing the files while pointing out where the control was even though Price told her that he ‘bloody well knew where the button was’. She spent her time doing probably the quickest hack she had ever done. The skill was an art but sometimes you just had to forgo the art especially when on a time crunch. That much was clear when she felt the shudder from the AGM missiles that were hitting the ground. She figured Roach was having _WAY_ too much fun with that thing.

_The team is holding defensive positions at the guardhouse, S64. Sitrep in the States not going well at all._

Nicolette tapped her ear as she sifted through a set of files. Out loud she said, “Our window is closing Price. Specs entered?”

“Aye.”

“Do it.”

It was the hardest thing she ever had to do since she was well aware that a nuclear blast was the worst thing to be hit with. The calculations were correct though and she watched as Price opened the silo doors. She could hear Ghost shouting on the coms about them opening and asking if they copied them at all. She didn’t answer at first after seeing the look on Price’s face. She kept silent as she finished her downloads. Finally she couldn’t anymore and the last time Ghost pointed out the silo doors were opening, all she could say was, “I know.”

She heard Ghost screaming out ‘code black’ after she felt the shudder of the missiles being launched. She managed to get what she needed and she stood there hugging her computer to her chest while looking at Price. Logically she had thought it through and Addy filled her in on the calculations… It was perfectly planned but she just felt apprehensive. It was a bold move but in a way Price was right, sometimes you had to make a worse thing happen in order for things to end.

Thinking about it like that made her feel like she was an ass. True she did something similar when she was a kid protecting the other kids that shared Karen’s house with her and Kyle. She was willing to get into fistfights over that if Kyle hadn’t beaten her to the punch. It wasn’t the same thing as now but the principles were similar in terms of how far does one go. Did someone go as far as sacrificing their soul? To the point where you cross the line, the PNR?

It was what she had thought about on the way back to the safe house after completing the mission. It made her unusually quiet and she knew it had Ghost concerned and that man noticed about everything. He still was sore at the fact that he hadn’t noticed her feelings for MacTavish sooner like Roach did. She spent the trip tracking the missile movements and courtesy of Addy it was filtered to the glasses she was wearing. She couldn’t help but worry and wondered if she really was going off the deep end with what they had just done.

She spent time alone playing with her computers because she needed to figure it out. As she stared at the data on her computer pad from the sub, she absently began twisting the silver band on her right ring finger.  She thought about what was going on back in the States and the fact that Karen was there and probably in the thick of it… unless they got her out. She probably should call Kyle to see what he found out.

_Incoming message from Santana._

“Speak of the devil,” Nicolette couldn’t help but mutter with a slight smile as she pulled up the message on her computer pad. She saw her brother in full gear. It looked like he was going out or something.

_Nicky?_

“I read you and see you big brother,” Nicolette replied with a slight grin. “Going out or coming back?” She wasn’t sure she wanted to know but this was her brother and she wanted to make sure he wasn’t being her big brother.

_Going out. We got orders to head out and recon some area. The boneyard. Command wants us to survey and look for any signs of Makarov. Apparently he’s pissed Washington off enough._

“Figures,” Nicolette replied. She glanced around to make sure she was alone, not noticing that MacTavish was watching with a look of concern on his face. “See I told you they’d be needing you somewhere in your station.”

_So you say. Listen Nicky. I checked in with Karen and they evaced her out. It’s still crazy there from what I hear. My buddy in Delta said that the Russians are hitting hard and in particular the capital. She’s okay though and she said that I better be careful and watch out for my little sister otherwise she was going to…_

Nicolette laughed when Kyle referenced Karen’s form of punishment in Russian. He always got stuck with it since he had been the one taking the hits for the stuff they pulled. She nodded in agreement and asked, “And what about me?”

_On you’re her precious sokrovishche. You can’t do any wrong in her eyes. Actually she said that you be careful with whatever you were doing and to meet a nice man._

“And what did you say to that?”

_Told her that maybe you might have. Now she’s got the interrogation room ready for you._

“You baboon.”

_Hey your turn now. Things going over well there, Nicky?_

Nicolette had pulled up the trajectory and noted the explosion that occurred. It didn’t take long for the missile to reach its destination and Addy was already letting her know what was going on. The EMP caused by the missile exploding in space would allow both sides to be on an even playing field. She actually recalled the line from Spock in Star Trek and inwardly cursed her brother for having the one guilty pleasure she shared in. Looking at her brother she said, “As well as can be. Doing what I do best and that is getting my hands on wiring.”

_Now we’re in trouble. Look Nicky, we’re moving out. You be careful out there. There are rumors about a few guys flying off the handle. No names but rumors are spreading about a prima donna squad getting too big for their britches._

“Bullshit, Devil Dog,” Nicolette said. She knew that Shepherd would be pissed at getting cut off like he did. Was he really capable of doing that? More questions than answers. “You know the first rule about recon. You double check to triple check. You made that rule up.”

_Calm down, Nicky. I read you. I think it’s bull too. Just letting you know since you and Scotty…_

“Semper Fi, Marine.”

_Semper Fi._

Nicolette sighed as the transmission ended. Where was the world going to? She pulled up the feeds she was able to get that hadn’t been damaged by EMP. The headcams from the Rangers and troops in DC showed that they were in a bad situation before they even launched that missile. So in a way they saved their guys but nagging at her was the question of cost. At what cost did the concern for the boots on the ground figure into wellbeing overall? Was there going to be backlash on this? Kyle’s info on the rumors certainly had her thinking. Did it ever stop?

Sighing she put her pad on a nearby table and leaned on it deep in thought. She stared at the wall that was bare but wasn’t really seeing it. She was trying to look at the web that was unfolding of the events beginning when all of this started with her being told to go after Zakhaev. Mostly it was like seeing everything as systems and such and she tended to space out as she thought about it. She was brought back to the present when she felt a reassuring warmth on her waist in a comforting gesture and a Scottish brogue in her ear whispering, “Are you alright, love?”

Nicolette closed her eyes when she felt his kiss on her cheek as softly as he had ever made it. “Just thinking… again.”

“Well you know I admire that scary arsed brain of yours,” MacTavish replied keeping his contact to a minimum. They weren’t exactly in a private area though it had been made pretty clear by her that she didn’t want to be bothered and Ghost more or less was the quiet bulldog. He couldn’t help but run his hand over her shoulder and rubbed it. “Thinking about the op I wager.”

“Still not sure if it was the right thing,” Nicolette admitted after a pause. She toyed with her computer and brought up the readings and surveillance of what had been going on. It was something to do for the moment. Then she added, “But it was pretty much _the_ thing to do. You follow me, Soap? Or am I babbling?”

“Your technical speak is like me going soft on reading Russian,” MacTavish admitted. He lowered his hand around her back to her waist. It would be easy to remove it if he needed to. “However, I think I understand. Logically it was sound. I know because the poppet gave me the specs and that lass is hardly ever wrong… but I can understand. It is like shooting at a live person for the first isn’t it?”

“Something like that,” Nicolette agreed as she played with her computer. “I do agree with Price but…”

“I stand by you. You know that.”

“A dangerous game for you,” she softly warned as she looked at him.

“And one I fully accept. I did the day you dropped in and Price ordered me to watch you.” MacTavish looked at her through his blue eyes and took in the dancing flickers of her hazel green.  Even when she was down, she always had a sparkle in them. He couldn’t explain it but it seemed that spark carried her through everything that had happened.

“You were supposed to watch me. You didn’t have to try and keep up,” she teased gently.

“You made that possible.”

“Please. That was my obnoxious self.” She smiled and sighed feeling a little better. She still couldn’t tell her suspicions to MacTavish. All she had working for her was the fact that she was uncomfortable and a lot of tiny coincidences that probably would amount to nothing or they were suspicions that created doubt.

“It’s what I love about ya lass,” MacTavish said. He couldn’t help but grin when she leaned into him and nuzzled his shoulder. He leaned in and whispered, “You know I am here for you, Nico.”

“I know,” she replied taking a couple of breaths. “Santana called and Karen’s okay but he’s off chasing another lead.”

“Knew things would work out,” MacTavish pointed out. He noticed though she was not completely at ease. He stood back to look at her and then asked, “Something else bothering ya?”

“I honestly don’t know.” Nicolette shrugged her shoulders. She turned off her computer ready to just find something relaxing like bungee jumping without the cord. “The thing about my job is that you spend a lot of time looking at all possibilities. Everything from the most logical to the most irrational and sometimes… well it can throw you for a loop. Makes me wonder if I’m the one going insane and not the world.” She looked downward and picked up her computer. She remembered she had a phone call to make too. One more thing.

MacTavish studied her and noticed she did look tired. He knew she was uncomfortable around Shepherd and he was under the impression it was because he was a stickler for regulations at times but he didn’t discount that there was probably a lot said between the two of them and it made her feel uncomfortable. He certainly noticed it when she would come out of briefings and knew that she wanted to tell him something but she wasn’t sure how to say it or she wasn’t sure and it was bothering her and that worried him more than what she had to say. He asked, “Do you want to tell me?”

“Yes,” she answered promptly, “But… I don’t feel I have enough to make a firm statement.” She rubbed her temple since she started feeling a little bit of a headache coming on. “I really do want to say something…”

“You don’t have to justify it to me, Nico,” MacTavish said as he picked up her hand and held it between his to warm it up. “I figured it was something like that. I knew what I was signing up for and believe me when I say this: you are worth the risk. You mean everything to me.”

Nicolette searched MacTavish’s face and found only the honesty he gave her; he meant every word. She couldn’t help but smile. “Why do you have to be so good to me?”

“Because I’m ruggedly handsome,” MacTavish teased gently before becoming serious, “And because I love you.” He held her hand and rubbed it gently between his hands and when he was done he took her other hand after she switched her computer and started rubbing that one. “You are a bright light to me and every moment in it… it is like heaven.”

“Being sappy isn’t you,” Nicolette replied smiling and feeling the warmth in her hands. “But I like it. Thank you.”

“For you, love.” MacTavish took a risk and gave her a kiss on her forehead.

They ended up staying there for a little while longer until Nicolette felt like she could go through her data collection. He stayed with her while she sifted through and occasionally made him smile with her babble. It was a nice calm before the realities of the situation at hand were to hit and probably hard.

****

Shepherd knew what Price was going to do the moment he was cut off during the transmission. He suspected that his stellar lieutenant knew what was going on since she tried to bring reason. It was a talent she had and one he fully exploited when it came to giving sitrep to SecDef. He knew that she would follow orders so she was not to blame. She was doing her job and that was to collect her intel. The sub gave them opportunity and he knew she would take advantage of it.

When they got the call that the missile had been launched, he was quick to get on top of it. There was a way to play this and he would make it so that his lieutenant would be the one known for finding that whore for power Makarov. At this moment he was with his escort the private that he asked to be part of a special detail as they were meeting in Colorado. He liked the private who was quiet and didn’t ask questions but took his orders accordingly.

“Gentleman, the missile’s vector puts it en route to the East Coast. We will lose the White house.” SecDef was always one to paint a bleak picture.

“We’ve rebuilt it before,” Shepherd countered, “We’ll rebuild it again.”

“Casualities?”

“Possibly 30,000 to 50,000. Depends on the exact location of the detonation. All systems will go down.” Shepherd wasn’t going to paint a pretty picture. He was going to give it to them like it was.

SecDef nodded as he thought about it. This was bad but he wanted to know straight from Shepherd’s lead intelligence officer. The information he got from that soldier was… It wasn’t possible though so he made do. “General Shepherd, you warned us. We should have listened.”

Shepherd nodded. There were a lot of things he said that they should have listened to. If they had been listening five years ago, then the world would be at a better place. That he was certain of. Now they could see how serious this was with this mad dog Makarov running around and the fucking Russians being the bastards that they are. “When they speak of this moment, we will not be the ones who stood guard while America died. One man is responsible for all this. Makarov must be brought to the light.”

It was not as eloquent as his lieutenant would have put it. Shepherd knew she had a way of convincing him of even the strangest of requests. She convinced him of two man ops she went on and even made a logical argument for her decisions. The lieutenant was prime material for higher up the chain of command even if on occasion she was a little forceful but he liked that. They needed more like her.

“Whatever you need General. You’ve got a blank check,” SecDef said after little deliberation.

It was done. Now Shepherd had the means of going after Makarov. He would make them all see that he had been right in the beginning. They just watched…

Duke had been waiting while Shepherd was in session. He didn’t like the fact that he had been pretty much attached to the general ever since he approached him on the sub. It was a thing to do in the interim while he waited to join up with his true assignment. It was one of those things that just had him antsy and he felt like he was back in Afghan looking around corners.

He didn’t feel comfortable about the whole thing at all. He was under the impression that he was to act like a spy on the unit that he had come to respect greatly and the one person who seemed to get him. She actually was like a big sister in that she looked out for him and occasionally had fun teasing him. He really thought that it was unnecessary for him to be in the 141 and he just wanted to go back to his unit in Shadow Company. Hell he actually wanted to be boots on the ground with his squad in the Ranger unit. It just felt bad all over.

He straightened the moment Shepherd came out. He noted the look on the general’s face and figured that things went well. He commented, “Things appear to be well sir.” He followed the general at the respectful distance while maintaining proximity.

“They are Private,” Shepherd replied as he continued down the hall. “We have the means to go after that bastard.”

Duke knew that the general was referring to Makarov. He had learned quite a bit about the campaign to seek him out and rid the world of him. Ryan had shared some things with him and he suspected that she trusted him quite a bit since she gave him information that, compared to that asshole Harrison, was more likely need to know. He replied, “So this means…”

“We’ve got a blank check and I am using every cent.” Shepherd continued walking unaware that his presence was causing the low level bureaucrats to scurry to the sides like scared mice. He did have that presence about him. “With the information Lt. Price has recovered and the effort to driving Makarov to go after the Black Fox… It’s only a matter of time.”

Duke kept his gaze straight ahead and thought about the implications. He wasn’t the smartest guy on the line but this just didn’t feel right. The way that Shepherd said that last line… it seemed like it was destined for something darker. He played with it and said, “Yes sir. Then there’ll be one less terrorist in the world.”

“There’s still plenty of others, Private. Leaders may fall but power always has a place to rear its head. The fight is unending.”

“So it is like trying to bail out a boat with a leaky bucket,” Duke said after he gave it a little bit of thought. He went quiet since he thought it was a little bit silly. He figured he spent too much time with Ryan since she always seemed to use practical examples to make her point.

Shepherd glanced at the private who lowered his head respectively. He was impressed by the private and replied, “Nice analogy son. I see having you moved to your new assignment will be beneficial.”

Duke felt his throat convulse slightly before he replied, “I do what I can sir.” It sounded weak in his ears but it was a blanket one that was adequate. He hadn’t given the impression that he was one to question orders. “Whatever you need.”

“That’s good to know, son,” Shepherd replied as he placed a hand on Duke’s shoulder. They had made it to where their transport was to Hotel Site Bravo. “Because I need you to be diligent. Lt. Price is a valuable asset and there are plenty of groups that would pay for what she can do.”

Duke tried not to react to Shepherd’s touch. He let it be but inwardly he was thinking that this was going to be more than what he bargained for. And the thing was that he didn’t actually volunteer for the job. He had been assigned. Maybe it was coincidence that he had been paired with her on the last op in Brazil or it could be a test. He felt that he was getting paranoid but his gut was telling him that there was more to this.

Taking a silent breath, Duke looked at the general and said, “But the 141 has done a good job so far sir. From all the reports that I have seen.” He cleared his throat and added, “At least the ones that had been assigned.”

“True but their prerogative is to get Makarov. The lieutenant’s mission is to collect intel and drive Makarov into the open. That kind of mission can generate a lot of enemies.”

“Forgive me sir, but that seems to be part of the job,” Duke offered. It probably wasn’t a good idea to even say anything that made the general’s plan a bad idea. He made to correct it, “Of course when it comes to good assets, it’s a good idea to make sure that nothing terribly wrong happened while they’re on the job.”

Shepherd studied the private. There was a reason why he picked this one. He knew his job and well. The missions in Afghan, Iran and now Brazil proved it. He was just what he needed to keep an eye on the most valuable piece of intel that ever walked into his sights. He said, “Which is why I chose you Private. You know the score.”

Duke felt a little bit of relief from his save but he wasn’t going to rest easy just yet. He had learned growing up that you didn’t ease up unless you were sure and in his case… He could be paranoid but still remain calm. He assumed the attitude of someone willing and said, “So what is the mission sir?”

Shepherd gave a ghost of a grin and got onto the transport, “I’ve sent a recon team into Afghanistan to look into a location for Makarov. I will be sending the lieutenant in to verify. You will be escort.”

Duke had a bad feeling about this but he nodded, “Roger that sir.” Whatever it was, he was going to do what he was ordered to do. He wasn’t going to let anything happen to his charge. It was an interesting position to be in. He just hoped that the awkward feeling he had about the general was wrong.


	16. Chapter 16

There was a saying about idle hands but Nicolette could never remember it. She always had to be busy with something. She had been that way since she had started on her drive to study hard in school and be able to participate in school events. Maybe it was because she had been in the care of the foster care system and it was never an easy moment especially if you had to move. She could barely recall a moment when she did not feel the need to keep moving and that was when she felt the relief that she didn’t have to move anymore when Karen took both her and her brother in.

Now that she was an adult, it seemed that she was doomed to repeat the need to keep busy. Mostly it was because of her anxiety over the whole thing with the missile being launch by technically Price’s hand but she had been there too. So she was as much to blame on this if it went south. Addy though kept reassuring her and informed her that things were right on track and she was actually monitoring the missile’s progress.

There was nothing more to do except answer the pending phone call that she had been expecting but hadn’t been expecting so soon. She checked and made sure the door was closed and locked. As much as she trusted the guys, she knew the consequences when too many people knew too much and the whole spiel about plausible deniability. There was also the fact that she was protecting her contacts and she just overall had a bad feeling about this whole thing with Shepherd at the head and then going through to a connection she used sparingly…

_Contact is establishing S64._

Nicolette watched as Addy appeared on a screen in her full childlike appearance. She always asked the AI why she chose to present herself in that fashion. It was rhetorical since the AI had a different answer though she preferred to answer the question with a question. It was just gentle teasing and Nicolette concluded that possibly the AI considered herself as a child and since she had a learning processor… it was like a child learning about the world. She replied, “Can you triangulate signal?”

Addy nodded and made a gesture. The screen next to the one that would show her contact pulled up a map of the world and Nicolette could see Addy’s work in triangulating the signal. “Triangulation in sequence. It appears the signal is near the German-Prussia border.”

“Eyes in the sky there?” Nicolette frowned as she studied the map. The area that it was showing was a rural place.

“Just what Google Earth can pull up.” Addy showed what she had been able to find. “It’s the best I can do if you don’t want me to tip off armed forces.”

“That’s okay Addy. We’ve worked with less even before I brought you online.” Nicolette tapped the keys on the keyboard she had attached to her computer pad that was connected to the computer in the safe house. It was one of the few she had established when she had left after her injuries in Afghan. It was one that was ‘known’ to the 141 meaning Shepherd knew about it too. She had managed to convince the general that she could establish contacts and places of refuge just in case.

The man had eyed her quizzically as if to ask her why they should waste time and money about this. She logically laid it out that if extraction weren’t feasible, the team would need somewhere to fall back to in order to regroup and then find a way to get out. In the end he seemed to buy it and authorized it. Of course he didn’t know about the other places she had established and with funds she managed to procure and from the good graces of the people she had helped. Ibrahim in Morocco was one such person and he even offered to make it so she didn’t have to pay but she was honorable. She instead asked him to make contacts in neighboring nations with the Bedouins thus creating a network.

“Contact is established.”

“Bring it online then,” Nicolette said as she moved so she was seen on the camera. She put on the headset that went with it.

The image came up with a face she knew very well and one that she was one she was only too glad to avoid but it seemed that it was inevitable that they would have a contact on some level. And Jensen seemed to think that she was good with people. “Anya?”

“I read you Misha and I see you.”

“Hi Nicky.”

“Hello Lexi,” Nicolette deadpanned. She looked at Alexi with a look that could kill. “I should have known you’d find a way to dog me no matter if I ask for your help or not.”

“Well you know me. I do have a soft spot for you,” Alexi replied with a nonchalant manner. She also grinned. It was hard to believe it but she did have a small bit of a sentimental side to her. It was hard to see since she always pissed people off but she liked the spook that never missed a beat to call her a bitch. “Besides I was in the area and Misha is an old friend.”

Nicolette shook her head and sighed. She had heard _that_ one before. She looked at Misha who was looking apologetic and said, “I see you Misha my friend. How goes it?”

“It’s not looking good,” Misha’s thick Russian accent betraying his origins in Moscow rumbled. “Our mutual acquaintance is obsessed with finding this Black Fox more so than you Anya.” He shuffled a bit uneasily. “I don’t know how much longer…”

“I know. I heard about Zakhaev International,” Nicolette replied in a somber tone. “It was not a good set up.”

“Don’t blame yourself, Anya. You are good but you can’t control what other people do and what motivates them.”

Nicolette chuckled a bit at that. “A friend of mine said the same thing. It’s pretty good advice.” She sobered a little as she adjusted her position. “So about our acquaintance, do you know what is going on?”

Misha looked off to the side and then at her. Alexi was handing him something but Nicolette wasn’t surprised. Russians tended to stick together especially when conducting business. She listened to her instincts since that was the best way of dealing with Misha since he was a runner of all things aside from guns but mostly black market things of things that were precious to his people.

She had met him when she was undercover with Viktor. He had her figured out from the beginning and she always wondered why he never turned her over to Viktor but he kept her secret and helped her to get away. He became an informant for her work and supplied her with information and in turn she used him like she did Alexi and that was to get guns, supplies or whatever. She ended up finding out that he was a contact for the Russian FSO and got her in to meet with a promising agent. From there it just went and Misha and her FSO contact provided important information.

Misha said, “He knows that with the attacks on your people the rabid dogs will be after him. He had retreated but is by no means defeated.”

“You wouldn’t happen to know where, do you?”

“No little Anya,” Misha replied looking apologetic. His shoulders heaved slightly as he sighed. “I may be within his inner circle but he has become paranoid. He knows that there are some of his men that do not agree with him. One he terminated on the day of the massacre.”

Nicolette absorbed that bit of information. It seemed that even the tyrant’s followers were starting to doubt him. “Sounds like there is room for doubt old friend.”

“Indeed. If it were not important, I would have made myself disappear long ago,” Misha countered with a humorous chuckle. “And I’d make it less of a show than you. Keeping you out of trouble was no easy feat. He suspected everything even though Viktor believed you more than him.”

“I was being honest about the motherland,” Nicolette replied with a somber tone. She looked at the screen and added, “I believe there is a balance that can be achieved and perhaps good faith can start to change minds on bad feelings.” She gave a pensive smile at that.

“That is a dream my friend and it seems to have spread. A friend named Kamarov likes the idea,” Misha replied giving his own version of a pensive smile. “You have a way with words and you are not a politician.”

“And I still have to pay attention to politics. Maybe I missed my calling,” Nicolette teased. She sighed a little and added, “So is there anything regarding possible locations?”

“There are two maybe three places. With the way things are going, it looks like he will be going dark. If that is the case… you better enjoy the respite when you can.”

Nicolette nodded and turned to think. She knew that her use of the Black Fox cover had driven Makarov mad and it had her wonder if she may have pushed too hard. That was always the possibility when she was trying to divert attention or set up any kind of op.

“The Zakhaev incident was a long time in planning as well as many other things,” Misha said as he read the thoughts that were on her face. “You know as well as I do that our acquaintance is meticulous in planning. He is stumped that the Black Fox knows most of his moves and is convinced you have a say in it.”

 _If only you knew._ Nicolette gave a slight shrug. “He did always manage to make the most interesting connections,” she said with her tongue in her cheek. She looked at her friend and the screens that triangulated the signals.

“Indeed and if I had more I would give it to you. I know you wouldn’t abuse it.” Misha paused and then said something in Russian to Alexi and motioned with his head in a stern gesture. He didn’t look at her as he made his gesture.

Nicolette saw the pout on her business acquaintance’s face as she left her view. One thing she could appreciate about Misha was that he knew how to keep discretion with different things. If it were in person more likely she would have kicked Alexi’s ass to get out and that would be after a round of insults. She tried not to show how pleased that she was that Alexi was not going to be butting her nose into this.

Misha turned to look at her and said, “I know that this call doesn’t have much to do with our acquaintance but more of a request.”

“Indeed,” Nicolette nodded in agreement. She had her hands on her hips in a serious gesture. “I do thank you for finding out a few things for me.”

Misha nodded and reached towards the screen. “I am sending you what I managed to get from our records. Sending it now.”

Nicolette tapped her screen to look at the information. She knew what she was looking at and what she was receiving certainly filled some holes. It was in Russian but she read it easily and was surprised that there was a small portion in German then again she shouldn’t have been surprised since she had pooled a few things from what the Company had on this.

“Seems to me that you’re stirring up ghosts with all this Anya,” Misha said as he observed her on his end. He shook his head slightly at that. “What has you so interested in what our country did so long ago?”

Nicolette felt her lip twitch. Misha always included her when he referred to the motherland. He always considered her one of them even though she was American. She looked up at the man and replied, “It isn’t for me but for a friend.”

“And why would you want to stir up dust of what was probably a set of good memories with horrible things?”

Nicolette looked up at her friend and explained, “It was requested of me. I was asked to look into this.”

“Always taking the burdens of others. You see things that should remain long buried but for the sake of others. You try to bring them closure. It is…” He made a clicking sound and a gesture as if he couldn’t understand.

Nicolette gave a slight smile and replied, “It was asked because my friend wants to know something and possibly lay ghosts to rest. Those days are full of uncertainty old friend and things that have come to light now bring confusion.”

Misha looked at his friend and nodded. He had more to give, “And I sense that some of that confusion involves you as well. As much as you like to help people, you take care to delve deeper when you play a role.”

“And of course time can change a person.”

“This is true.” Misha gave a knowing look at his friend. “I will not ask what your business is but there is one person who may be able to give you more information. It is the son of a desert wanderer who knows of things that happened when you seek plus another.”

Nicolette leaned forward, interested, “Tell me then Misha.”

****

“I haven’t seen you this low since… you left on vacation.”

Nicolette turned to see Roach handing her a cup of coffee. It was steaming hot and she eyed it warily. Ghost had on occasion had forced Roach into playing a trick on her and one of the things he messed with was her coffee. She remembered the last time which was why she was looking at it with suspicion.

Roach recognized the look and said, “It’s all right. It’s black. Nothing in it. Honest.”

Nicolette still eyed Roach warily as she accepted the cup after putting the cigarette she had been smoking between her fingers. “Thanks Roach. I could use a cup.” She took a sip to taste. There was nothing strange about it but the taste… “What the bloody hell? Where did this slop come from?”

“Ghost,” Roach said with a shrug. “He tried to do it like you do it when we’re out but…”

Nicolette made a face at it and tossed it. “Well at least he tried though I think he tries too hard to…”

“He feels bad Ryan. He knew you weren’t doing things on purpose and he knows he handled it badly…”

“Don’t be too quick on that account. I had a part too,” Nicolette corrected as she put her cigarette back in her mouth. She motioned for Roach to follow as she headed towards the room that served as a kitchen. “I for one didn’t tell you that I remembered you both from then. Could have saved heartache.”

Roach gave a tolerant smile. They had this discussion before. They were both right. He gave a hum as he watched his best mate measure out grounds and started the pot. He said, “But I just think he made it to play a prank on everyone. He makes a decent cup.”

“I know. And I know where the Oakleys are.” Nicolette turned to give Roach a grin. She took a pull on her cigarette and inhaled the smoke. “This is a really bad habit.”

“And you only do it when you have something on your mind. Still bothered by today?” Roach leaned against the counter to look at his friend as she put out the butt.

“A bit,” Nicolette replied. She paused and studied Roach. She then asked, “Do you think we did right today?”

Roach leaned against the counter and thought about it for a moment. He had been alarmed when he saw the missile head into the sky. He also heard her last transmission when Ghost was calling to Price about the silo doors opening. He realized then and there that they had launched the missile and he was concerned that it was a direct attack in the worst way. Then he heard what had happened actually and Price’s explanation. He sighed and replied, “I admit that I thought you missed them and then…”

“Do you think that we were right?” Nicolette hand put the tips of her fingers together and had been staring at them. Her voice had been calm and firm.

Roach knew she wanted an honest answer. He looked down and tapped his fingers on the counter before looking up at her. “I know that you wouldn’t waste lives unnecessarily. You wouldn’t do anything to deliberately harm people for the sake of the job. What Price did… you would do and… it was right. It saved people.”

Nicolette looked at Roach. She could tell that he thought it wasn’t what she was expecting to hear. Or he thought that it wasn’t the best answer that he wanted to convey. She understood what he wanted to say and nodded, “Thanks bug. Sometimes you can think things out logically down to the last second, plan it perfectly and then when you manage to execute it… sometimes you have doubts and especially when it is something like a nuclear missile.”

“The team trusts you Ryan and you know that you are my best mate,” Roach replied, “You usually have good judgment. Whatever it is… you always have people’s best interests at heart.” He gave a smile, one that was one of his more endearing smiles.

Nicolette took it in and chuckled, “And you have a way of making a girl feel loved, bug. I hope you save the full version for your cellist.”

“I’ll never tell,” Roach grinned as he straightened up. “You should go. I’ll make sure the night owls get their coffee.” He gave a slight eye movement to indicate what he meant.

Nicolette returned it and gave a wry smile at Roach. She wasn’t going to ask the man how he knew but she was comfortable with him knowing and he protected it. The same went with Ghost. Maybe she did have a gift with words. She teased Roach with a gentle pinch to his cheek and left the kitchen to go where the team was bunking.

It was like conducting a stealth op when she reached the door that she wanted. It was risky considering everything that had been agreed upon but… She was quiet as she opened the door and snuck in on the balls of her feet. Her mark was in the bathroom and the water was running from the sink and gave her the perfect opportunity to get into position.

Her mark exited the bathroom and immediately became alert. Nicolette couldn’t help but grin as she watched. She moved silently to take a flanking position while watching her target move around and look for what caused him to look around on alert. She moved slowly and was soundless having removed her boots when she had entered.

It was like when she pounced on him when she ‘kidnapped’ him, as he put it; she startled him good. She had managed to grab a pillow and give a good enough swing. His response was, “Bloody hell!”

Nicolette retreated to jump onto the bed in a crouched position and grinned, “Getting slow.”

MacTavish scowled at her but it was all bark and no bite. He replied, “I let you get me.”

“Really?”

“You doubt me lass?”

MacTavish regretted it the moment he said it. The pillow she had hit him with came flying at him and by the time he batted it away, she had him in a grip that wasn’t a full one but it was felt nevertheless. She managed to get close to say in a low voice, “Consider this payback.”

“Always knew you carried a grudge,” MacTavish replied as he grasped her arms and undid the grip to bring her around to face him.

“Nope. Just a long memory,” Nicolette replied. She countered by slipping from his grasp and struck out with open palm strikes. They still hurt as much as any hit but less than a fist. It was playful though as she taunted, “You know I can even recite the old PT regimen in Birmingham.”

MacTavish blocked her strikes by batting them away. He had been surprised by her choice of attack. He had sensed someone was in the room but couldn’t see them. She always tried something new when she was trying to be playful but also practicing. Of course there was a distinction when she was being serious and when she was being playful.

He countered and blocked her strikes as they exchanged banter back and forth. It was like a little dance of sorts and highly seductive since the strikes were not meant to hurt the other. MacTavish was amused when she managed to twist his arm behind his back and she leaned in next to his ear and said, “This isn’t the Scottish bastard that bested me once.”

“Once?” MacTavish raised his brow in an amused fashion. He twisted to reach around and ended up lifting her off her feet. He felt her other arm wrap around his next. He grabbed it and pulled to bring her in front to face him. He had a hand on one arm and it was crossed with her gripping the other. It pretty much put them at a standstill but he wasn’t complaining. “Try the ninth time,” he taunted before smashing his lips on hers in a quick kiss.

“Eighth. That one where Roach tripped doesn’t count,” Nicolette replied as she yanked hard to throw MacTavish off balance, using her legs to help. She let go in the process and he fell. Unfortunately he didn’t let go and he ended up pulling her with him. She landed on top of him as he fell onto the floor with surprising quiet. She looked down and took advantage to straddle his waist even though he hadn’t relinquished his grip but she made it work. “Still at eight,” she teased.

MacTavish looked up and teased back, “For now lass.” He relaxed his hold and released her arm. He flicked a stray lock out of her face. When she didn’t move he asked, “Aren’t ya gonna let me up now?”

Nicolette pretended to think about it. She gave a smirk as she replied, “Not really… Nope. It’s comfy here.” She emphasized it by poking his middle taking care to go for the ticklish spot.

“You are a pain in the arse.”

“It’s a gift Soap,” she replied as she leaned forward to prop herself on his chest. She adjusted her weight distribution so it wasn’t uncomfortable. “And you’ve always been easy.”

“And you never let me live it down,” MacTavish replied with a grin. He reached up to stroke her hair. He studied her countenance as she stared at him. Finally he asked, “You have everything worked out now?”

Nicolette gave a slight smile knowing what he meant by that. “Sort of,” she replied. She crossed her arms over his chest and rested her chin on them. “It will still bother me a little that I agreed to such a measure but… it was right. It’s done now and gotta move on.” She shrugged her shoulders.

“Glad to know that. There’s nothing wrong with you feeling that way. It’s who you are.”

“I know and I thank you for telling me that.”

MacTavish rubbed his hand gently on her head as he felt her auburn locks. “It’s the honest truth, Nico. And I’m not saying that because I love you. It is the truth.”

Nicolette smiled and replied, “I know because you’ve always been honest with me. Even when you didn’t like me.”

“I always liked you,” MacTavish protested. “You just were an annoying bloody shite.”

“And you were and still are an ugly Scottish bastard,” she retorted.

“I never win with you.”

“Nope.”

MacTavish gave a mock sigh. He knew it was just a joke. “Alright. Is there any chance that I could convince you to get off? Maybe a rematch?”

“Nope.”

“Bloody Yank.”


	17. Chapter 17

It was early in the morning and the sky was grey. Nicolette slowly opened her eyes, grateful that she had another good night’s sleep. They were a luxury she appreciated since she occasionally got a nightmare and they drained her more than a day of PT. She blinked and wished that something would make everything be put on hold so she could sleep a little while longer but her internal alarm clock was not going to let go so easily. That still didn’t prevent her from burrowing further under the blankets looking for warmth.

She had a little bit of it but what she was looking for was missing. She reached over with a hand and found the other side empty. She ended up burrowing further into her blanket. It was then she heard chuckling and she said, “That better be for something funny on your face.”

MacTavish continued to chuckle at the blanket covered lump. He sat on her side of the bed and placed a hand on her hip and softly said, “Well I think you’re in a good mood since your shivering so much. Maybe you’ll be generous.”

“It’s cold hands, warm heart,” Nicolette corrected as she pushed the cover off her head to look up at MacTavish. She pretended to pout, “But it’s frigging cold.”

“And you never complained about it in England,” MacTavish countered still grinning at her. He wondered how long it would take for her to notice the mug on the nightstand.

Nicolette knew he was right. She wasn’t that cold anyway. It was always her hands though. She sat up smiling, “For once you can be right. My hands are just cold.”

“Well I got something for that,” MacTavish replied as he reached for the mug and put it in her hands. He noted the slight look on her face when he handed her the mug. He knew she was expecting him to do it.

Nicolette took the mug and took a sip trying to ignore the disappointment she felt that he wasn’t going to warm her hands like he always did. She was surprised at what she was drinking though. “Tea?”

“You’ll want to drink that. Whatever they fixed up in terms of coffee… I don’t want you accidentally poisoned.” MacTavish grinned at her, noting her expression. He took a sip of the stuff that was in his mug. “I think it’s an excuse to get you to make coffee.”

“Let’s face it, you lot are hopeless,” she teased back as she drank the tea. The mug did warm her hands up but not the way she liked it. She finished the mug like she would down a glass of whiskey. “You all get giddy like girls when I am able to go on an op with you.”

MacTavish gave a look of mock hurt, “You really hit hard love. You know we like your company.”

“Pfft. You lot are animals that graduated to troglodytes,” Nicolette retorted playfully. She had finished her tea and put the mug on the nightstand and folded her hands in her lap. She rotated her shoulders to stretch them out. “And you Brits think us Yanks are an uncouth lot.” She suddenly stood up and walked off the bed in a graceful manner.

MacTavish knew that she was going to be difficult even if he offered to rub her hands. He couldn’t help but grin as she stood and stretched her muscles out. He couldn’t help but ogle at her well-toned body, the muscles flexing under her skin. He watched her and knew she was doing what she did to tease the rest of the 141 like that split she could do and did once.

It was hand to hand combat but they were allowed one weapon and that was pretty much a knife or anything they could find. Nicolette was once again goading Ghost into a fight. MacTavish never tried to break it up since he pretty much had to live with one of them and he knew his Nico well. He did referee it to make sure they didn’t get too carried away but it usually got a little rough.

It started off well enough. They both were holding their own though MacTavish thought that Nicolette was having a little too much fun in trying to get Ghost to attack with the training knife. It wouldn’t kill but it could leave a serious bruise if you gave it enough force. It was why they were wearing combat vests for this. It was obvious to MacTavish that they were playing around the first couple of minutes until Nicolette said something and grabbed his glasses. That started making it more aggressive with Ghost trying to get them back.

In the end, Ghost managed to knock her knife away and she had only her bare hands. She blocked by using her palms to push his arms away until she backed off but they went at it. She was being backed into a corner until she turned and actually ran up the wall and then pivoted to the other wall. The angle allowed her to give a kick to Ghost’s back. He turned to give a downward strike and she ended up dropping her leg and into a split while blocking with her forearms.

MacTavish remembered the hoots and the looks on their faces. He knew she remembered which was why she was doing that on purpose. It didn’t help that it was something she did before playing on the rigging that Ghost set up for her. Sighing he pretended to be exasperated, “Alright you win again. We’re animals.”

Nicolette finished her stretching and looked at MacTavish. She grinned and said, “Oh I forgave you ten seconds ago. I’m just stretching.”

“Bloody muppet.”

Nicolette couldn’t help but chuckle as she stood up and moved into what could be a dance pose but was also a stretch by extending her leg in the air with her arm being support. She took her time to do both legs and then rotated her shoulders. She couldn’t help but laugh at MacTavish since he had his arms crossed over his chest and his expression looked so stern that it was obvious he was faking it. She walked up to him and patted his head like he was a little kid, “Are you a sore loser now?”

MacTavish relaxed the scowl and his response almost sounded like a pout, “Not in the slightest Nico.” His features relaxed as he looked at her and turned into a smile. “You are cruel when you play, lass.”

“I play to win,” she replied as she stretched to give him a kiss. She put a hand on his shoulder to give herself some leverage. “You just got to keep up.”

MacTavish grinned and accepted the kiss and kissed her back. He managed to grasp her hand and started rubbing it to warm it up. He chuckled when she teased him in a mock stern voice that he wasn’t completely off the hook for this. He said, “How about I make it up to you?”

“Depends,” she replied, knowing what he meant.

“I’ll leave ya guessing then,” he replied as he took her other hand and started to rub it to warm it up. He smirked at her.

Nicolette merely smiled at that. She could hold out as well as he could when it came to ‘getting back at each other’. It was something that pretty much started the day she hit him with a pillow and kidnapped him from Birmingham. She always liked to see what MacTavish would spring on her so she was willing to wait in suspense. “Alright then. I suppose I owe you for my stretch routine.”

“More than that,” MacTavish replied as he grasped her around the waist while she wrapped her arms around his neck. “But I’ll think of something.” He kissed her and pressed his forehead against hers. He sighed in contentment and actually wished that this was over. He wanted it so that she was free of Makarov’s obsession with killing her or whatever he had in mind. She never said it but he could tell that she was feeling the strain. Plus she had whatever else she was doing that a spook did and that… he knew the score with that and she would tell him if he asked. “Busy today?”

“Usual,” Nicolette replied wishing that she didn’t have to leave MacTavish’s warm embrace. “Why did I agree to this?”

“Because you can’t resist my charm,” MacTavish teased earning a smile from her. He brushed a few stray locks out of the way. “And you know more about my side of the pond than I do and I was born here.” He kissed her forehead, “You’re good at what you do Nico.”

Nicolette smiled as she accepted his kiss and hummed, “You are too, Soap.”

They looked at each other in silent acceptance of each other’s assessments. It allowed them to part reluctantly to go about doing their jobs. It’s what found Nicolette in the war room with much needed privacy as she established her connection. She put the headset on and glanced at her watch and said, “All set, is connection ready Addy?”

Addy appeared on the propped up tablet. “Everything is set up and connecting. Uplink established. There are easier ways of communicating with your contact.”

Nicolette gave a slight chortle and replied, “You know I like complications Addy.”

“And look where that gets you.”

Nicolette shot a look at the AI and almost chuckled. The AI had her hands on her hips but it was hardly intimidating since she was in the projected image of a child. It didn’t help that MacTavish called her poppet more out of teasing and spite on occasion. She replied, “Part of my charm and why I’m good at what I do.”

Addy snorted, “In your dreams.”

That had Nicolette laugh out loud as she pushed the key to activate the screen. The computer hissed with slight static before showing the image. She took in the chiseled face and found herself comparing him to the photo she uncovered of his father. She wondered again why she agreed to this project of hers. She really was one to help the little guy, as the expression went. She had to admit that she was curious considering that Harrison had made comparisons and Jensen made one as well. The timing was just…

“I was wondering when you would call me back.”

Nicolette looked at the screen and grinned, “And I told you this was going to be my way Section. How are things state side?”

Section looked off to the side before looking back at her. “There were reports of an explosion over Washington. EMP took everything on both sides and they were about to take out the city until our guys gave the signal. What the fuck Ryan?”

Nicolette pursed her lips before replying, “I’d say that the odds were made even.” She crossed her arms over her chest.

Section looked at her and replied, “I guess I have an idea but I shouldn’t ask. Should I?”

“Depends on if you want to hear the answer,” Nicolette replied. She blinked and took a breath before continuing, “Long and short of it is that things were done to try an end this war; it was an attempt to snuff the flame with a larger one.”

Section nodded, “Then I guess I won’t ask. I can’t since I came to you about what I asked.” He then gave a slight grin that was very cheeky. “And I watch my guys’ backs.”

Nicolette gave a slight smirk in return, “Very clichéd Section but still holds true.” She sighed and continued with what she wanted to talk to him about, “I did some checking and I found a lead and I want to know if you want in on it.”

“Asking me out on a date?”

“Fuck you, Section,” Nicolette said with a smirk in response to the smirk on his face.

Section chuckled at his bad joke. He looked at the screen and then off to the side at something. Finally he said, “You got a location?”

Nicolette knew she had his attention. She thought about what she had learned from Misha. She was surprised at the information he had on what she was looking for. She wondered how it would go over with Section. At this point it was like a history research project but she figured that he would want to know a side of his father. She didn’t know the man except what she managed to get that was authorized to her. Sighing she said, “My contact is willing to meet near the Prussian-Georgia border. He is my asset in the guy I am chasing and he… he knows the guy who knew your father.”

“You got a name?”

“Can’t give it to you. You know that,” she replied. “I can tell you he is related to the events that led to a relationship with what your father did.” She crossed her arms over her chest and took a breath. “I know it isn’t what you probably had in mind but… I do a thorough job when I take on a project like this and I give the client a chance to decide. I told you that there may be paths you might like where they go.”

Section was silent for a moment. He appeared to be in deep thought to Nicolette and she wondered if he really was going to want to come along. Finally he said, “I said I was willing and I wanted to put some ghosts to rest and you are right in that it isn’t quite what I had in mind but… I trust your judgment Ryan.”

Nicolette didn’t say anything at first. She took in the expression he was giving her. He was placing a lot of trust in her. She nodded, “Sometimes in order to get a clear view of things the past may need to be dug into.”

Section chuckled at that, “I knew what I was getting into when I tracked you down to ask you to do this.” He sobered quickly as he looked at the screen and asked, “So when do we leave?”

Nicolette checked her watch. Earlier the 141 was notified of a briefing with Shepherd. There was that and then trying to get away to go. The problem was that her contact’s time was limited. She replied, “Later 01600. Can you get away?”

Section checked his watch, “Might be able to.”

Nicolette looked at Addy who gave a slight nod. She then turned towards Section and said, “I might be able to help with that. I’m sending you specs on rendezvous… the usual. Addy will be your contact.”

Section raised his brow at her. “Copy that, Ryan.” He checked the computer and saw the data coming through. He was impressed by the whole thing. He looked at her and said, “I’ll be there Ryan… and thanks.”

Nicolette nodded. “See you then.” She gave Addy a signal and the connection was terminated. She sighed since there was still quite a bit to do.

****

Time crunching was something Nicolette was good at especially when it came to the logistics of things that she didn’t want anyone to know save for those she gave that information to. She had to admit that Addy had been a big help in that regard since the AI was very adept at hiding things in plain sight or making something covert appear innocent. As a spy Nicolette learned that the trick to achieving a mission that was supposed to be a secret was to make whoever was watching think they are seeing something else. It was a trick she utilized quite a bit on the job. Now she was going to put it to the test with regards to Shepherd. It was clear she didn’t trust the man and had always suspected ulterior motives but she could never prove it. She dealt with it as she was doing now while they were getting a briefing.

“It’s been a tough week, gentlemen,” Shepherd was saying on the uplink, “We’ve lost more than we ever dreamed, but we will recover.” He looked at the officers of the 141 including his lieutenant. It was because of her that they had this much. They were going to win this. “I’ve got a blank check and we’re going to use every cent of it killing Makarov.” He gave a nod to the lieutenant.

Being the tech expert gave Nicolette access to a lot of things. Plus she was the only one that could make things do what she wanted when it was needed and had as much knowledge on the subject of interest. She typed in the keys to pull up the world map.

Shepherd continued, “Despite whet the world may say, we are not savages; we don’t’ kill civilians. We use precision. There’s an evil man hiding in these shadows and we’re gonna bring him into the light. Once his face is revealed, we will write history gentleman. Lieutenant?”

Nicolette cleared her throat slightly and pulled up what she wanted, “These are the last safe havens left on Earth for Makarov and his men.” She pulled up two locations. One was in Afghanistan and the other was on the Prussian-Georgia border. She pulled up the specs on what was gathered.

Price had been studying the whole thing and noted how Nicolette was acting; he saw how uneasy she was. He knew better than to discount it but he wasn’t going to say anything about it. He noted that his former sergeant was looking at her the same way he was but not saying anything. It seemed things were under control with the exception of a couple of suspicions that he wasn’t going to name since MacTavish wasn’t saying anything and definitely she wasn’t saying. Better to keep to the business at hand. “Sounds like we’ve gotta be in two places at once.”

“Impossible?” Shepherd looked at Price with a questioning look.

“Not for the 141,” Price replied with firm assurance. He knew they would be able to do what they would set out to do.

Ghost had been quiet the entire time standing near Nicolette. He had self-assigned himself bodyguard duty whenever he had gone on a recon op or whatever it was that she called them and the habit stuck when they were on base except when she had her work or other things. Even in ops he maintained a protective stance and she took to calling him an overprotective English bulldog, and that was when she was being generous from the usual British Nazi. She knew his reasons though.

As he was studying the map, he said, “Fifty-fifty chance to take out Makarov eh?”

Nicolette took the opportunity to give a subtle tap to Ghost on an area he would notice. He would know what it meant and she hoped he wouldn’t make too much of a fuss. Certainly he would have questions about it and she wouldn’t mind answering them to what she could do.

Ghost felt the flicker of her finger and would have scowled but he didn’t. He didn’t like this system but… He looked at Price and said, “Captain Price, request permission to take the safe house with Roach and Ryan.”

Price noted the look on Shepherd’s face. Apparently he didn’t like his prize lieutenant going on ops but he seemed inclined to deal with it. Ghost’s request wasn’t all that unusual since Price had heard about the three of them together. Plus if there was any intel on a computer drive, they would need her to get what they needed. He replied, “Granted. Soap and I will take the boneyard in Afghanistan.”

MacTavish had been listening and knew something was up the moment Ghost requested he take the safe house with Roach and Nicolette. True he could come up with a logical explanation in terms of being a tech specialist and all that but he knew her. She had something up her sleeve and when he cast a glance at her, she gave him a look. He knew then. He knew she would be okay with Roach and Ghost. They were a team within a team. He nodded slightly in reassurance.

Shepherd never noticed the exchange as he said, “Very well. We will cut off all avenues of escape. This ends now.” He disconnected leaving them in the room alone.

“Strange,” Price mused, “I could’ve sworn we ended this war yesterday.”

It was a strange feeling. Nicolette had been feeling off all morning even though she shared a few moments with MacTavish and got to the business of her other projects. Their daring act should have ended things right then and there. This was… Something was up and she had noticed how Shepherd looked when Ghost requested that she go with him and Roach and Price readily granted it.

“Alright Muppet, what’s the deal?”

Nicolette looked at Ghost as they walked side by side to gear up and deploy. They were behind the two captains and Roach was with them. It didn’t matter if he heard or not. He knew how to keep a secret. She replied, “I wanted to go with.”

Ghost eyed her while Roach whispered, “Ryan we all know you.”

Nicolette gave a slight eye roll. They did know her. They knew her well and they weren’t going to let her side-wind them on this. She sighed and replied, “The mission to the safe house is twofold. Yes there may be tech in there and a chance of Makarov and you both know I’m in line to make sure he gets his ass kicked.”

“In line? More like first in line,” Roach muttered with a slight humorless grin.

Ghost was in agreement and asked, “So what’s the second part?”

“Just because we are hunting one of the most dangerous men in the world doesn’t mean that the world stops turning. There are others out there with a similar agenda that pretty much are taking advantage of the world situation.” Nicolette paused as she stopped in the hall. They were almost to the room where their gear was stored and she didn’t want too many ears getting a hold of this. She looked at the pair of them and said, “The second part is that I do have a contact meeting in that same area. They have some information that might be helpful if we can’t find anything useful on Makarov and a few other things. He’s a longtime friend and been in with the ultranationalists for nearly five years or so.”

“And how do you know that he hasn’t set a trap for you?” Ghost was being the hardass while Roach was thoughtful.

“Hasn’t turned me in yet,” she replied, “He knows who I am but he’s not a big fan of what Makarov is about. He stayed to help me out. And I owe him.”

Ghost wasn’t so sure about this. “And you are going alone?”

“No. If I know Shepherd, he’s going to send the kid with me.” At the looks she was getting from Roach and Ghost and explained, “It’s what I would do. It was no coincidence that he assigned the kid to me on my last recon op. Shepherd cares about my security since I did manage to get what we know so far.”

Ghost and Roach looked at each other. Roach gave a nod and shrug and went to go gear up. He gave a pat to Nicolette’s shoulder as he passed. Ghost waited until he was gone before asking, “And what does Tav have to say?”

“Something that is for discussion between us,” she replied. She noted the concern and wasn’t of whether to be annoyed by it or not. She took and breath and continued, “Ghost, this is something that is part of what a do when I am not pretending to be a soldier.”

“I know that Ryan but…” He looked away not sure of what to say. Finally he said, “I just don’t want this coming back on me and Tav kicking my ass because something happened to you.”

“It won’t because…” She trailed off. She really couldn’t say that MacTavish understood. Maybe he did but she didn’t speak for him and… “I have contingency, Ghost. You taught me that one.”

Ghost looked at her and gave a nod. “Alright then. I guess I’m to get you to the location and then you’re on your own?”

“Something like that.”

Ghost sighed, “I have no idea why I even bother.”

“Because you have wisdom beyond your years my friend,” she replied with a cheeky grin before going to speak to MacTavish.


	18. Chapter 18

“Snipers are in position,” Archer replayed as he took up position with Scarecrow on the ridge.

Ghost nodded as Roach and Nicolette locked and loaded. Nicolette took a moment to tap her ear to make sure that Addy was online. The AI gave the signal as Nicolette adjusted her glasses. Ghost had teased her about them when they were on the mission with the sub and she said that she improved his sense of fashion. They joked about it before deploying more as a means of reassuring each other that things were fine. With Roach, they had their usual in terms of quoting some form of classic literature.

The only one that felt out of place was Duke and he also felt exhausted. He was jumpy at the fact that he was sent there. True his orders were to keep the intelligence officer secure but he couldn’t shake the feeling that the general wanted him to spy on her. It certainly didn’t help when the general told him to note every interaction she had with her contacts. That certainly meant that he was to spy on her. He felt that it was wrong but he wasn’t one to disobey orders. The best thing he could do was to keep his mouth shut as he flanked Nicolette as they headed down the steep slope.

Ghost took point noting how the trees provided good cover. Nicolette had the same thing in mind when she sidled up and muttered, “Smell like an ambush to you?”

Ghost didn’t say anything but looked around as he paused to check. He got that feeling as well. He gave the briefest of nods and signaled they were to continue moving. They would just have to be extra cautious on the way in. He paused long enough to say to her, “When you get a chance, take it Ryan. Make sure you have a clear link to us.”

“Solid copy Ghost,” she replied. She put a hand to his shoulder and added, “Take care of yourself, you and the bug,”

“The bug keeps coming back.”

“Shut up and make me feel better you British Nazi.”

“You owe me a match you bloody muppet of a Yank.”

They gave each other a smirk of a grin and continued on their way down. Nicolette looked to see Ozone and he gave her a slight signal. She looked ahead and edged her way forward. She took a deep breath and edged forward, not liking the feeling she was getting. For the briefest of moments, her mind drifted to the report she had managed to read about her other project and the reason she was separating from the group. She had gotten to the part about SOG and Vietnam and what happened there especially the Tet Offensive. Subconsciously she made comparisons in terms of trekking through the jungle versus the forests here. She shook her head at that.

_The safe house is 154 meters ahead. Satellite surveillance is not giving a clear picture._

“Probably minimal movement,” Nicolette muttered as she responded to the AI. “Do you have contact with Section?”

_The commander is at the rendezvous point and awaiting arrival. Is he not aware that you are on an op?_

“No and no mention of that,” Nicolette replied. She looked around and then at her watch. She noted the time and then said, “Set to go to signal black in two minutes. No connection with anyone else unless I give it. Understood?”

_Copy that S64. All contacts have been notified. Good luck._

“Monitor Price and Soap.”

_Already done._

“Thanks Addy.”

There was some silence as they continued forward. Nicolette looked for her opportunity. She glanced at the ridge they were passing and eyed it warily. She was on Roach’s left between him and Ghost and Duke was covering her flank. The kid wasn’t going to leave her any time soon. She was just going to have to deal with it and if it came to worst case…

A click sounded followed by Ghost shouting, “Ambush!”

Up ahead she saw the flying disk. She shouted at Duke, “Get down!” She put her arm over her head to shield it since she was wearing nothing on her head except for the boonie she picked out. Her ears rang with that high pitched ringing like what came from a flash bang.

“Target! Left side! Left side!” Ghost was shouting it out as he was firing at the ridge and pushing forward.

Nicolette blinked as she rolled on the ground to get to her feet. Up ahead she could see the shadows of Makarov’s men moving to intercept and shoot at her guys. She pushed herself up and rubbed her face, smearing the dirt over her face. She saw Roach and Ghost push ahead with Ozone. She knew that Archer and Scarecrow were covering with sniper fire.

“We gotta move sir.”

Nicolette turned to see Duke grabbing her and looking at her with alarm. She turned to look at the attention that was being taken away from them. She tugged on Duke to get him to get down. She watched as Makarov’s men were drawn towards Ghost, Roach and the others that were advancing towards the safe house. Scarecrow and Archer were covering from their sniper positions. The gunfire was rapid and concentrating on the rest of the team.

Nicolette forced Duke to stay down until she was certain that Makarov’s men were being taken care of by Ghost and Roach. She cautiously lifted her head out of the tall grass and looked around. She glanced at the ridge for any sign of the enemy before getting into a crouched position and checking her watch.

“I thought we were…” Duke was confused as he took up a flanking position and looked around.

“This is the mission,” Nicolette said. She looked around and keyed her radio, “Addy?”

_Contact at rendezvous. Two minutes._

Nicolette nodded and readied her rifle before turning into the direction that she needed to go in and said, “Let’s move out Kid.” She then took off and started running towards the ridge that overlooked the safe house.

“Where are we going? The safe house is that way,” Duke said gesturing in the direction the team had gone in. “We’re supposed to be hunting Makarov.”

“We are just… not us,” Nicolette replied as she paused to check near the tree she had pressed her back against. She glanced to see Duke looking at her like she was nuts even though he was doing what he was trained to do and that was to basically watch her back. “They’ll handle it. I’ve got to deal with this,” she added as she turned and started moving again. They had to make it to the rendezvous. Not everyone was as patient as she could be.

Duke followed not sure about what to do. He had his orders to protect the lieutenant but he got the feeling that he was missing something. As far as he knew, they were supposed to be taking the safe house and not going on a wild goose chase that… Well he had no idea what it was about. “Makarov is in that direction. What could you possibly need in that direction?” He gestured as he kept up with Nicolette.

“Not everything is about Makarov. Believe it or not the world still turns,” Nicolette replied. She suddenly stopped and then turned to look at Duke who almost ran into her. She stared at him and said, “Why did Shepherd send you?”

“I…”

“Don’t lie.”

Duke sighed. He really couldn’t lie about it and he didn’t want to. “He gave me orders to watch out for you sir,” he replied. “He seems to think very highly of you and…”

“Doesn’t want to lose an asset. I get it,” Nicolette replied. It really wasn’t the best of situations since she knew that Shepherd could get Duke to tell him everything. The kid was like Roach in that he followed orders but the difference was that Roach learned to be a little flexible. The kid was not as flexible and had to ask permission to do anything.

There was nothing to do about it now since she was on a schedule. Better to just take him along and figure out how to keep the kid from following orders. She started off again towards the ridge. The Caucasus was full of forest and was a nice change from some of the other scenery. She was reminded of the Altay region. It was a shame that something so beautiful and nice had to be spoiled by something like war.

They made it to the rendezvous which was a clearing overlooking the safe house. Nicolette overlooked the area and could see the team making their way towards the place. She had a bad feeling about the overall mission in general but this was a chance and she couldn’t help but feel that she was close to it being over; that she would be free from the shadow that had been dogging her the last five years. Silently she offered a wish/prayer that Ghost and Roach would be all right.

“Didn’t think that you’d show,” a voice entered along with the rustling of grass that forced Duke to whirl and raise his weapon.

Nicolette pushed Duke’s weapon down like it was an annoyance before greeting Section, “I am not in the habit of going back on what I say.”

Section gave a slight grin as he looked at Nicolette. He liked the fact that she wasn’t afraid to let anyone have it even if they were a soldier. He noticed Duke and asked, “Who’s the babysitter?”

Duke took offense at that, “I’m not a babysitter.”

“Then what are you kid?” Section gave a slight grin. He glanced at Nicolette and added, “At least you prevented him from shooting at me.”

“That is still an option,” Nicolette replied with a wry grin. Her gaze held a lot more meaning and she was impressed that Section picked up on it. “We’re on a schedule so we need to move. Come on.”

Section gave a slight scoffing chuckle as he followed Nicolette after making sure his own gun was locked and loaded. He didn’t have a rifle but he did have his pistol and it came in handy. He looked at the sniper rifle that Nicolette was holding and asked, “You wouldn’t happen to have a spare gun now would you?”

Nicolette raised her brow as they walked side by side before handing him the one she was carrying in her hands. At his raised brow she said, “I’m covered. Believe me.”

The trio walked on and it was within viewing distance of the safe house and coming upon two men. One looked bored and the other looked expectant. Nicolette walked forward and greeted her contact in Russian and English, “Privet, moy drug. It is good to see you Misha.”

Misha looked at his friend and her company. It was one more than he expected but he wasn’t going to quibble over that. “As is to you though I am surprised that you are not down there but it’s not like he’s there anyway.” He shrugged his shoulders in a manner that didn’t matter.

Nicolette returned the gesture. It was a 50-50 chance when it came to Makarov. More likely Soap and Price would have better luck though she wouldn’t count on the fact that Makarov may have another place that was unknown to him. “It is being looked at,” she said. “Our bargain?”

Misha nodded, “As you requested. A tale for a tale yes? Much I owe you little Anya for what you have done.”

Nicolette gave a nod, “I have done nothing but ask questions to seek truth. What we all want.”

Misha chuckled at that, “Indeed.”

“What is he talking about?” Duke had no idea what was going on. “I thought this had something to do with Makarov.”

“There are more things in this world than one man, kid,” Nicolette replied as she continued to look Misha in the eye. “Some things have a bearing on others.”

It dawned on Duke that Misha was with the ultranationalists and his superior was friends with him. He pointed his gun at Misha and said, “No. He is an ultranationalist. He works for Makarov.”

“And little Anya was with us five years ago and occasionally has a nice conversation with me, no?” Misha was taking the situation in good humor. The man had a gun pointed at his head before. It was nothing new. Also might as well be open and honest.

Duke looked at Nicolette and asked, “Is it true, sir? You consorting with the enemy?”

Nicolette looked at Duke with a bland expression. This was bound to come up sooner or later. She looked at Section who hadn’t moved when the kid pulled a gun but he was tense and alert considering Misha’s companion had his own gun out and was prepared to shoot. She finally said, “I’m intelligence, Kid. It’s what I do. I keep back channels open…”

“In hopes of staving off disaster, yes,” Misha’s Russian accent pierced the quiet. “Though some of us actually believe in your ideas little one. And we just like you.”

Nicolette chuckled and looked at Duke, “I don’t see a problem and you shouldn’t either. You’ve been on missions with me and know who I know.”

“But with one of Makarov’s guys…”

“Distasteful, yes,” Misha replied, “But I stay because someone has to. I do have news that Makarov may be in Afghanistan for an arms deal but it is not clear. You know I am not that high, Anya.”

“I know,” Nicolette replied. She looked at Duke with a silent look to trust her. She was relieved when he decided and lowered his weapons and shot her a look that indicated he trusted her. She nodded and looked at Misha’s companion and he lowered his. “Seems that things will be permissible,” she said before looking at Misha. “Old friend, you promised some information for me. Please tell me that you have it.”

“Indeed my friend,” Misha replied pulling out a file folder. “This will take some time.”

“We have it.”

****

 _The things that I do for you Nico… Makes you wish there was a medal for it._ MacTavish wiped the sweat from his brow as he adjusted the ghillie suit he was wearing. The thoughts if spoke out loud would have hinted at annoyance but, in honest truth, MacTavish would do anything for her even if it included jumping out of a plane without a chute. It was extreme but the point was there and in all honesty we would do what he could to end this thus ending what was tormenting his girl. He looked around while he and Price were moving forward, looking for any sign of Makarov and he kept an eye out for other things.

It came out as an innocent request but MacTavish could see that she was reluctant to ask it of him. He didn’t like that she felt that way but he could understand. His main objective was to go after Makarov and not after a Bedouin who would happen to be in a similar location that would have something for her. Yet even he knew she couldn’t be in two places at once.

It was right before they deployed that she approached him. She was all geared up and ready to go; it reminded him the first time he saw her in a Kevlar vest that looked like it was too big for her. He could tell it was serious because she approached him in that serious manner of hers and he knew he wouldn’t be able to tease her out of it. He couldn’t resist saying though, “Looks serious, lass. What do you need?”

“Would you be able to do something for me?”

The way she asked it was disconcerting and reflected her reluctance. She didn’t ask if he could do it. He replied, “You know I would, Nico.”

“Would you be able to?”

MacTavish knew that she was being serious about this and told her he was able to. She then told him that there was a Bedouin who would be in Afghanistan in the same area he was in and he would have information she was waiting on. He asked, “For your little project lass?”

“Yes.”

There had been no teasing or anything to it. From the looks of things, MacTavish could tell her thoughts were preoccupied with other things and she seemed relieved that he was able to do what she asked. She gave him the rundown on what he was to get from her contact. Now that he was here, he was now concerned how the heck the contact was going to know who he was. It was probably a minor detail she forgot but even he knew how meticulous she was in planning things. Sighing, he continued his way through the boneyard.

“Never thought I’d see you again Scotty.”

MacTavish turned and pointed his weapon to see Kyle looking at him with a grin even though he was pointing his rifle at him. He lowered his and replied, “I don’t suppose this is coincidence that I see your arse again… Captain.”

Kyle grinned as he lowered his weapon and reached out to give a brief handshake to MacTavish. “Never a coincidence in my line of work Captain,” he replied giving the same edge to MacTavish’s rank as he received earlier. “Just here looking for a terrorist.”

MacTavish took in Kyle Walker’s gear and noted he was in fatigues and he was in the ghillie. An odd combination but then again Price was also in different gear. He asked, “And how many are those?”

“Just one,” Kyle replied with a slight frown. “Some guy named Makarov.”

MacTavish frowned slightly at that and then looked around. Something wasn’t right about this. He and Price were going after him. Why would the Devil Dogs be sent in? He turned towards Kyle, “When did you receive the order?”

“Got the call yesterday,” Kyle said with a shrug. “Told we were to go after a HVT and they gave us a name a Misha Resnov but he wasn’t here. Then I get a call saying that I was to forget Resnov and go after Makarov. Red tape bullshit.”

MacTavish listened to Kyle’s explanation and looked around. He didn’t like this and keyed his radio, “Price. You in?”

_Aye. And I’ve met up with some bloody muppets looking for their captain. They say that they are hunting Makarov._

“You would be right,” MacTavish replied. “They’re the Devil Dogs. Marine unit.”

_I don’t like this._

“I agree,” MacTavish replied keeping an eye on Kyle who was surveying the area around them. “I have their captain with me. Seems we might be playing nice with the Yanks again.”

_Copy. Stay frosty Soap._

“Will do.” MacTavish looked and saw Kyle staring at something. He looked in the direction that he was looking at. He spotted what he was staring at and stared as well. “You alright, Yank?”

“Somehow I get the feeling we are being watched,” Kyle replied as he shifted slowly and made a turn like there was nothing going on. He looked at MacTavish with a silent look that asked if he was to engage a potential hostile.

MacTavish returned the look that told the captain to stand down but to be ready just in case. He replied, “This whole thing is off. We were sent here for Makarov.”

“You? Huh. I guess someone crossed their wires,” Kyle said as he followed MacTavish’s lead. “Where’s Nicky?”

“The Three Musketeers are in the Caucasus. She’s fine,” MacTavish replied wondering why Kyle was going on the path of protective big brother now. Then again they weren’t sure of their silent observer and it was meant to be a means of conversation. “Another lead on Makarov.”

“Funny. We were told he was here.” It may have been casual conversation to Kyle but he was also gleaning information on his sister and her friends. Years earlier she would have insisted that he was spying on her and even accuse him of being a pervert. She certainly did enough of that when they were teenagers. Still he was concerned since he was no idiot. He knew that she was doing something that was probably geared to giving him a heart attack since the company she kept was not standard army but a team of tier one status like his Devil Dogs. He liked the fact that MacTavish was willing to keep her secrets even to the point of telling him that it wasn’t his to tell but hers.

MacTavish shuffled on his feet and looked around. He found that their visitor had come closer. It was a nomad definitely and he was wearing the robes and turban that was often associated with the wandering nomads. He wondered if this was the person that he was to obtain his information from. He said, “We know of two places. He’s either at one or the other. Someone must’ve gotten their wires crossed.” He gave a speaking glance to Kyle.

Kyle noticed the visitor had gotten closer and was prepared to fire but he was forestalled by MacTavish giving him the look not to fire. “Probably,” he said as he eyed the visitor warily. It was a plausible explanation and he got MacTavish’s communication loud and clear. “Anyway since it seems that we have our jobs I better get going. Tell Nicky I said to call me.”

“Solid copy,” MacTavish said as he watched Kyle disappear while calling for his team to regroup. He looked at the visitor and asked, “Are you Azeem?”

“Yes but I was expecting someone else,” came the reply. “I do thank you for not assuming that I was here to shoot you.”

“A risk but well thought of,” MacTavish allowed. He didn’t say anything more until it was evident that the man was waiting for him to say or do something else. He finally said, “So you are supposed to have something for me?”

“For someone else, yes.” Azeem pulled something out of his robes. It was a cloth covered package. He held it up, “I had been told that one day I would asked for this so… treat it with kindness. It is very old.”

MacTavish raised his brow. He had been under the impression that he was to expect something like a file or a word or something. He took the proffered package and gently put it into one of the pouches on his vest. When he looked up the nomad was gone. He shook his head and lifted his rifle. _The things I do for you lass._


	19. Chapter 19

The safe house had a gold mine of information. There were plans on the table and there was a computer which was currently starting to download into the DSM module. It was a good find but Roach couldn’t help but feel that this was awfully familiar. He cast a look at Ghost who was relaying orders to the rest of the team to prepare for defenses. The man gave a slight nod as if he knew what he was thinking; déjà vu maybe.

It was sort of with the gold mine of intelligence there. It had both Ghost and Roach reminded of Operation Kingfish and it had them wary for anything remotely looking like explosives. Roach was good at disabling but even he wouldn’t have been able to do anything if it was a repeat of that op. He glanced at the DSM and cursed the fact that it was _that_ slow at downloading.

_Computers are a lot like people Roach. You gotta baby them and love them a little and then they can work for you._

Roach couldn’t help but roll his eyes as he remembered one time he grew frustrated with a computer and Nicolette had been watching. She had been amused at the time like she enjoyed watching his frustration. His frustration was that he was practicing working with various systems just in case they needed to download or breach and the computer he was using decided to act up on him. It ended up freezing on him and he was trying to do everything to get it going without having to restart and losing everything.

It took him about thirty minutes before he realized that Nicolette was watching him and laughing at him. He was stubborn about it for another thirty minutes before he finally asked her for help. She teased him for a few moments before she came over and with a few keystrokes she had him back online and his data was safe. He said, “Thanks Ryan.”

“All in a day’s work, bug,” she replied. She then gestured towards the computer, “Just take care of old Betsy there. She may be old but there is a lot in those wires that still beat.”

Roach snorted at that and replied, “It’s old and being a pain in the arse.” He jolted the keyboard roughly and his finger thumped on the screen. “A piece of junk. It decided to act up right when it was important.” He ended up sighing and staring at what he was working on and saved it but then it started acting up. He growled and shouted, “Not again! Bloody hell!” He ended up thumping his head on the table and scowled when she laughed at him.

That was when Nicolette proceeded to tell him that computers were like people and must be treated as such. He knew she was good with computers and anything with wires. He had watched as she repaired a busted com radio and made it seem like it was brand new. She worked on the base systems and improved their security and she still did whatever it is she did for her work with intelligence. He ended up saying, “All of us will never see computers as you do Ryan.”

It was then she pulled up a chair to sit next to him. She saved his work on a disk and said, “Maybe it’s because I tend to see things at times not as most people see them. It’s why I am good at chasing leads where there are none.”

“I don’t quite understand…”

“You do bug,” she replied with a slight smile. “You’ve seen me work. The way I see things is that we are all connected in some way. Some are obvious like the 141. Everything we do is a team and we function as a unit to take out Makarov. Others are not so obvious or don’t seem connected. Such as the going on elsewhere in the world. We are concerned here and with the problems in the states but there are others who take advantage of the state of things.”

Roach didn’t remember much of that lecture she said except that she said she had a knack for finding out things. He did remember one thing that she had told him. It came to him now as he finished setting up the defenses of the safe house. He set the last of the claymores and looked out at the ridge nearby and wished hoped that his best mate was okay.

He had noticed the moment they converged on the safe house that she wasn’t with them. He looked at Ghost and that man simply said, “Doing what she does.”

It sounded inadequate but he understood what it meant. The three of them had their own means of talking to each other. They didn’t always have to use so many words at times. Often it was a look and sort of nod. It was what cemented their reputation as the three Musketeers. Roach wasn’t too worried but he was. Something felt different about this mission. He couldn’t put his finger on it but he felt a little uneasy.

He finished setting up the defenses. There was more than enough ordinance stored at the place to set up defenses. The claymores would thin the advances and the team would take up positions throughout the house to pick off the rest. The main thing was to protect the DMS and let it finish downloading and right now it seemed stuck and it wasn’t even a quarter of the way done. Roach looked at the thing and scowled. He could hear Nicolette laughing at him and his frustration. She would probably laughing more at Ghost since that man could get short on patience with things that took time. “Yeah I know. You got to love them a little. I know Ryan,” he whispered as he did a final check.

_Task Force, this is Price. More of Makarov’s men just arrived at the boneyard. Soap, cover me. I’m gonna slot that guy over there and use his radio to tap into their comms. Ghost, we’re going silent for a few minutes. Good luck up there in Russia. Price out._

_Makarov’s men are going to do whatever it takes to keep us from leaving with this intel. We need to protect the DSM until the transfer is done._

“On it Ghost,” Roach replied acknowledging the man as he finished what he was doing. He had raided the armory along with Ozone and Scarecrow and set up the defenses. There was going to be plenty of explosions and gunfire on their end.

_They’re dropping in more troops west of the house!_

_They must be by the boathouse! Cover the west approach!_

Roach had an idea. He had seen plenty RPGs and other weapons capable of taking out aircraft in the house. If he had to then he could shoot them down. He raced upstairs to grab one and the ammo and placed them at certain points. He was going to be doing a lot of running but that was nothing.

_Got it! RPG team moving in from the southwest!_

_I have eyes on additional hostile forces moving in on your position. They’re approaching through the solar panels east of the house. I don’t see Ryan or the Kid._

_Don’t worry about it. They’ll meet us at extraction._

The gunfire that commenced had Roach moving along the balcony/deck side of the house firing at the side of the house facing the boathouse. Trained as a sniper, he took care to shoot at only what he could hit since the trees provided cover. However he couldn’t be too picky since they were a fresh set of boots on the ground dropped in. There were more of them than what was with him.

He could hear the explosions and screams. It seemed that Makarov’s men managed to run into the claymores that had been set up on that side of the house. There were still plenty of them out there but it was a start. For a brief moment he was reminded of their time in Afghan when he and his team was cut off from everyone else. That had been nearly a year ago and since then there had been a few close calls but the team was still a team and things had worked out between his best mate and Ghost. He actually had wondered what would have happened if Ghost refused to get along with her since he did imply that they wouldn’t be close anymore. He was glad that it hadn’t come to that.

They were starting to infiltrate the house and Roach began moving to intercept and take them out. If he had to he would taunt them to follow and he would take them out at a better vantage point. He sidestepped a claymore he had placed and hurried to meet the hostiles that were advancing.

_I’m hit…_

_Ozone is down._

It sounded cold but this was a battle after all. Roach brushed away the uneasy feeling that he was getting about this mission. True they had similar overwhelming odds in the favela in Brazil but this… It felt different.

_Enemy fast attack choppers coming in from the northwest._

_Roger that. Enemy helos approaching from the northwest. Roach, take them out._

Roach knew his cue and raced to where he had prepped the RPGs to use against the enemy helos. He loaded up one and took aim and fired. He patrolled the length that he had set up to get a clear shot of the enemy helos. They weren’t heat seekers so they could be easily avoided if the pilot spotted them. He wanted to make it so that a move to get out the way would have to be pure luck and that was if they didn’t want to fling men out of the choppers.

The tactic worked quite well. _All part of paying attention to history class_ , Roach thought to himself as he moved to help cover the front lawn and driveway. It was tough to lay down claymores to give support while there was gunfire homing in on you. It kind of made you want to shout at them about what the fuck they were doing since he was carrying explosives. That was the nature of the job though and he managed to buy some time with his claymore cover. A few well tossed grenades helped as well and he went back to check on the DSM module. “Bloody hell,” he muttered when he saw how much had been downloaded. “Baby it a little eh?” He turned to continue to cover the entrances. He muttered, “This is one time we need you Ryan though you would say you can’t make it download faster.”

_I’m hit!_

_I’m displacing. You’re gonna be without sniper support for thirty seconds, standby._

That was thirty seconds too long and it didn’t help that there was still about a third more to go in terms of the download. It did seem to be picking up though and that was a relief on Roach’s end. There was still the issue with the front since there were enemy trucks there along with a few of Makarov’s men. Roach moved to take them out and use one of his frags to take out the truck. The explosion took out a nice group of the enemy.

_Roach, the transfer’s complete! I’ll cover the main approach while you get the DSM. Move!_

Roach wasted no time and grabbed the module. It was the one moment he had to take a really good look at it. He recognized it as one of the modules that Nicolette had built. She said that they downloaded faster than the standard and could be encrypted once hooked up or preprogrammed for it or some sort of computer babble that was lost on him. The only thing that he did catch was that it downloaded faster. It had Roach snort since it seemed to have taken forever to do but then again she had demonstrated it and… He couldn’t help it, “Bloody hell. Thanks a lot Ryan.”

He and Ghost were out the door and heading towards the exfil point. Archer was still out there but Ozone and Scarecrow were hit. Scarecrow was hobbling along but it was uncertain that he would be able to keep up. Ozone was gone. There would be time to account for the dead later but still it felt like a chip in their armor of morale.

_This is Shepherd. We’re almost at the LZ. What’s your status over?_

_We’re on our way to the LZ! Roach, let’s go!_

It was tempting to retort that he was moving but Roach decided against it. There was no point to it. He did ask, “Ryan?”

_Ryan, you copy? Come in! Shite! Bloody Muppet where are you?_

Roach didn’t like where this was going. True that this was supposed to be pretty much getting her in. She never really said how she was getting out. That was her though but with everything going on, Roach had to wonder if she was okay. He said, “She’s gone silent, mate. Just do what we gotta do and she’ll get out.”

_Bloody hell. And we just had to go along with her._

Roach said nothing but picked up the pace. The best they could hope for was that Nicolette got out and with whatever she planned. It wasn’t like she hadn’t done this before. She could take care of herself and then some. Making sure that the DSM was secure, he continued forward for the extraction point while trying to avoid enemy fire. He saw Scarecrow hobbling along and trying to keep up. It looked like he got hit in the leg.

Suddenly he saw him go down with a violent jerk. Scarecrow was down. That left him, Ghost and Archer. Archer was somewhere trying to get to the exfil from where he had taken up sniper positions. He could hear the man telling them where he was over the radio.

_They’re bracketing our position with mortars. Keep moving but watch your back!_

That was just perfect. Roach kept the fire while pushing towards the LZ which was lying at the bottom of the hill they were on. They were almost there. They just had to clear the trees and make a run for it. The bad thing was that it would leave them out in the open. No one said this job was easy and Roach sucked it up and followed Ghost. He thought he saw Archer but couldn’t tell until he heard the quiet voice say that he was hit. He had just cleared the trees when a mortar came and hit near where he was.

It was disorienting even though he was aware that he was flying through the air. He hit the dirt hard and his ears were ringing and his leg hurt. Actually his whole body hurt since he hit the ground pretty hard and he was wearing his equipment. He saw darkness the moment he hit but he heard Ghost as he was shouting at him. _Now I know what you meant about getting near blown up Ryan._

****

Ghost didn’t like the situation at all. He had voiced it before they deployed and even shot his glares, like that ever amounted to anything, and yet here he was. He was having to put up with it. It wasn’t that he didn’t trust Nicolette; he trusted her with his life and she trusted him with hers. The thing was that the timing and the fact that they had been ambushed and the way she had been acting before… he was astute enough to figure out that something wasn’t right.

He hated that she pulled that radio silence thing on them. True that there was such a thing when it involved missions that it was necessary but this… It was like doing things on the sly. Of course though she implied that it was for Shepherd so he wasn’t going to argue too much with that and that was because she did what Shepherd asked and they got their intel on Makarov. If he really wanted to admit it, he could say that he was worried about her and the fact that she was on this sort of forced secrecy thing. It was the kind of thing that could set her up to be betrayed and possibly killed if she became a loose end. It was why he was pissed when he couldn’t raise her while he and Roach were heading for the LZ.

_You bloody well better have a way out Ryan. Otherwise it will be more than cruel and unusual punishment with pit runs._

It seemed silly to think of punishments for Nicolette but it made Ghost feel better and she bore them with a certain amount of repentance even if it was a little mocking. Sometimes he got the feeling she was a pain in the ass on purpose just so she could get ‘punished’. They ended up with a good laugh afterwards. He only thought of it because he was concerned. At the moment though he turned his attention towards Roach; they had lost Scarecrow and it looked like they lost Archer as well. It was just him and Roach and they had maybe about fifty meters before they cleared the trees.

The mortar rounds were firing so they couldn’t run in a straight line. He had given Roach the warning earlier and they were both doing their best to avoid getting hit either by bullets or mortar rounds. They almost clear of the trees when he saw Roach go down from a mortar exploding near him that sent him flying. “Roach!”

He made it to Roach while giving cover fire. The enemy was advancing and with relief in sight, Ghost had a plan. He popped red smoke at the tree line and called it in, “Thunder 2-1, I’ve popped red smoke in the tree line! Standby to engage on my mark.” He looked down at Roach and said, “I got you mate. Hang on.”

He propped Roach up who was looking disoriented even through the grime, sweat and blood that was on him. He looked at the leg that had some shrapnel in it but it looked like Roach was going to be okay for the most part. He really was a cockroach. He grabbed Roach’s gear harness and started pulling him away from the hot area. It was going to be danger close and he didn’t want to put Roach in a worse position. In fact he actually felt a bit of pride that his friend pulled out his remaining weapon and began firing to cover their backs. Ghost helped out a little as he called, “Thunder 2-1, cleared hot.”

The little Birds came in with their guns and began blazing away at the enemy. There were a few explosions but Ghost kept pulling and tugging Roach along, telling him to hang on. He felt Roach get a little heavy and he shouted, “You better hang on Roach. I do _not_ want to deal with Ryan.”

“Piss off,” Roach replied as he blinked blearily while continuing to fire. He looked at his leg and poked it to jerk himself awake. There was a bad piece of shrapnel in his thigh maybe but it wasn’t bleeding profusely. That seemed like a good sign. He joked, “You know she likes it when you’re an arse.”

“Fuck you, bug,” Ghost muttered in return. The fact that Roach was joking was a good sign to him. “I’d rather hear your bad Shakespeare than hear her bite my head off because you got in trouble again.”

Roach muttered something unintelligible as he reloaded his weapon and checked the DSM. Seemed the little bastard was a hard one. It wasn’t damaged. That was a good thing. Roach blinked and blacked out when his leg brushed over a rock.

Ghost could see the chopper ahead and he felt Roach become completely dead weight. He stopped and looked at the man and shook him to wake him up. He nearly yanked the man off the ground as he got him to his feet while shouting, “Get up! Get up! We’re almost there!”

Ghost slung Roach’s arm over his shoulder and the younger man seemed to wake up and try to stand on his own. It was painful obviously with the leg injury but Ghost knew Roach had a lot of pride in him even though the bugger was quieter than anyone else. He encouraged Roach to keep moving knowing that each step was going to be agonizing for his friend. He managed to tease, “You know the dragon will be assigned.”

“Not the bloody dragon,” Roach muttered as he straightened out more and tried to brush Ghost off.

It certainly helped them move faster and Ghost felt his lip twitch at Roach’s determination to ask for anyone but the dragon medic. Everyone in the 141 had been subject to Jolly’s care and the only one to say that she was not a dragon was their third Musketeer and they really couldn’t get it. It was funny to laugh about and a joke used to get the men to do one more pushup or something in order to avoid the infirmary. In this case it motivated Roach to keep going until they got to the chopper.

Shepherd was waiting for them. Ghost felt relief that they had relief. It was business still when Shepherd asked, “Do you have the DSM?”

“We got it sir,” Ghost replied.

“Good. That’s one less loose end.”

The phrase sounded strange to Ghost’s ears. Why would Shepherd say something like that? He found out when he heard the sound of a .45 go off and Roach collapsed to the ground looking stunned. What the…? “No!”

The close range was good enough to kill. Ghost knew that as he felt the bullet sear through his right shoulder and out his back. It felt like something exploded in his chest but he was well aware that he was still alive as he collapsed on the ground. It was like he had gone numb and couldn’t move as he watched that bastard Shepherd take the DSM and motion towards his men. Surprisingly his Oakleys hadn’t fallen off and he could keep his eyes open to watch as he and Roach were stripped of their weapons.

“Call in for Lt. Price. Make sure her escort has his orders.”

Ghost began to panic hearing that. Ryan was a loose end too. Shepherd was going to kill her and the kid was the one that was going to be given the orders! Why did the bloody hell did they trust the bugger? He fought with them. They were stuck in a downed Black Hawk in the middle of a damned bloody poppy field! He should have said something about not going dark with her. He ended up blacking out.

Pain woke Ghost a few moments earlier and he found that he was being dragged over to a ditch. He couldn’t see Roach. He needed to know if the bug was dead or playing dead. His mind told him that given his friend’s previous injuries and the close range of the .45… He just needed to see but couldn’t move unless he wanted to be riddled with holes.

The next thing he knew was that his legs were grabbed by the ankles and his arms by the wrists and he was slung like a sack full of whatever. It was hard trying not to cry out when he hit the slope and then landed on something soft. His head nestled against Roach’s chest and it took a moment to realize that he had landed on his side.

Darkness began to cloud his vision and the thought about how compromising his position was made him want to laugh. He could just imagine and she would be the worst with it. He felt his lip twitch as something wet splashed on him. His nostrils were filled with the overly familiar smell of gasoline. What the fuck? They were going to set him and Roach on fire!

A very soft moan emanated from Roach and Ghost was surprised. He couldn’t let Roach get burned alive. He tried to make his limbs move but his body was numb and he was feeling a bit cold. If he had to die then he would at least be with Roach. He just hoped that MacTavish and Price got out and give the bastard hell. He closed his eyes unable to keep them open longer.

Gunfire exploded and shouts were heard but the voices were muffled. Ghost thought he heard Shepherd demanding where it was coming from and that he thought the whole area was cleared. He didn’t really care. Something heavy fell on top of him and he recognized the dead weight of a dead body. _Too late for the cavalry mate._

_Ghost? Ghost can you hear me?_

_They lost too much blood!_

_Anyone? Do not trust Shepherd!..._

_Fuck that. Ghost doesn’t have permission to go. I’ve still got a pulse._

_Sir…_

_Hang on Ghost. You hear me? Hang on you British Nazi…_


	20. Chapter 20

“Roach? Ghost? Come in Ghost! Do you copy? Anyone copy?” MacTavish paused as he called into his comm. He took a breath and prayed that his worst fears wouldn’t be realized. He continued, “Nico, come in.” He tried to keep a steady voice and shouting seemed to help in that endeavor.

Price could hear the slight inflection of MacTavish’s voice. He wasn’t stupid and figured it out that there was something going on between the Yank spy and his former FNG. He guessed at it when they did OP Kingfish and now it seemed that it was only confirmed. He could understand though. He had become fond of Nicolette in the short time she was with his unit and he had been worried and disheartened when he thought she was dead.

The harsh reality was that… if she didn’t respond then it was to be taken to mean that she was dead along with the others. He replied a little more forcefully than necessary, “They’re dead Soap. Shepherd’s cleaning house. I’m working my way back to you to.”

MacTavish didn’t quite want to believe it. He knew that his Nico had a very bad habit sometimes of staying dark for longer than necessary. Sometimes she did it as a prank and that was when they worked on ops together or the honest truth was that the usual ‘nothing goes as planned’ happened and she had to stay dark. It had him on edge until he got a phone call from the cell she gave him. As Price was talking to him, he dialed her number and ended up getting a straight to voicemail.

He knew she kept it charged and ready to go at a moment’s notice. It was something she tried to do as a courtesy to him. She called it that but when she said it, her eyes said that she was doing it so he wouldn’t worry and it was also meant to be in reverse and something he gladly did if only to hear her voice. He didn’t want to jump to conclusions since on more than one occasion she had scolded him like a little child about not getting all the facts or what could be gathered to work with. Still he couldn’t help but think the worst case scenario.

She had always been nervous around Shepherd. She didn’t voice it but he could tell that she hated every moment she had to stand a briefing with him in the room. Yet she didn’t say anything and he knew why. He felt like an arsehole but that didn’t matter now. If Shepherd was cleaning house, she would be the logical choice to get rid of. She knew more about the operations than anyone… She was gone. He had to face facts but it was painful. She was his light and now it was extinguished. Those that he fought alongside with were gone. “Shepherd betrayed us,” he replied as he clenched his fist in anger while trying not to let tears fall. In all honesty he never contemplated that he would lose her and it tore at him to think what she thought about losing him.

Price heard the anger and hurt. In all honesty he was angry and hurt as well. He was fond of Nicolette and he could tell MacTavish was coming to the realization that she may be gone. He had suspected that Shepherd was up to no good; he never trusted him and neither did Nicolette. Would that be enough for her to see a trap in time? He knew Ghost from Kingfish. If that man couldn’t sense it… Being the one who always had to be the strong one, he said, “Have to trust someone to be betrayed. I never did.”

“Neither did she.”

Price wasn’t sure what to do next about that. It was obvious that his protégé was dealt a harsh blow. There was no time to mourn now. They had to get themselves out and exfil to a safe location. He softened a little and replied, “I know, Soap.”

It was enough of reassurance since MacTavish didn’t say anything else. Price figured he was going to put it on the backburner until the reality set in. Right now they needed to figure out how to get out of there. He called in, “Nikolai, come in. Do you have our location?” One thing he liked doing and what made him good at this job was that he always had a backup plan.

_Da. Inbound, Price. But I am not the only one. You’ve got Shepherd’s men on one side, Makarov’s on the other._

Those weren’t good odds any way you sliced it. It was just the two of them and the Yanks they ran into earlier, the Devil Dogs, they might not be so friendly. That would make things even more difficult. There was only one way to go. Price was about to say something when MacTavish said, “Then we’ll have to take them all out.”

_Or let them take each other out. Either way, I’ll see you on the other side my friends._

MacTavish couldn’t see Nikolai or Price but he gave a nod while he was holed up in a beat up aircraft. It was going to be a fight through hell. A small part of him wanted to say to hell with it all and just charge out there guns blazing.

_That is the stupidest thing ever Soap. If you are ever that reckless I will bring you back with the help of Jolly so I can kick your ass into the next hell hole._

How many times she said that when they were out on ops and he dared to suggest they go the all in way. But that was when she was with him and they had a goal. Now she was gone so what was there? The answer was obvious. He and Price had to regroup and then go after Shepherd for what he had done. It was only right.

_Revenge is not really a good answer. Believe me I know that feeling. Al-Asad was just one example for the way he made me feel. He may have deserved it but I am glad it was not my hand. I would have done far worse than scared the crap out of him._

“Well that’s you Nico. You mean everything to me and now…” MacTavish muttered to himself before making sure his weapon was locked and loaded. He could hear the gunfire going off. He was going to have a hell of a time getting there.

_Soap! Shepherd’s trying to wipe out us and Makarov as the same time! Make for rally point Bravo to the west! Trust no one!_

That was an affirmative as MacTavish struck out to head west towards the rally point. He stayed close to the pieces of shite that were once planes and in the shadows. His ghillie suit helped in that endeavor and it was a good thing that it was a grassy field. All he had to do was let Shepherd and Makarov’s men duke it out. No one would notice.

The plan was simple enough. MacTavish even took the time to take out a few of the men from each side. Mostly he picked off Makarov’s men. Shepherd’s men were only doing what they had been told if he wanted to be fair about the whole thing. Right now though he wasn’t and he had good reason too since they were the ones shooting at him along with Makarov’s men. It was tempting to go in guns blazing but in the end… he knew he had to make it and it would be for her.

He was about 400 meters from the rendezvous and the gun fire was heavy. He never thought he would be back in Afghan going through this shite again. Then again that was the job. MacTavish snorted as he heard the thought go through his mind. How many times had they said that just to be reassuring? Bloody hell.

_Head to the rally point! Nikolai, this is Price. Be advised the LZ is hot. I repeat, the LZ is hot!_

_Okay Captain Price. I am on the way! Try to get the situation under control before I get there, ok?_

_Right, whatever you say Nikolai. Just get here sharpish!_

MacTavish heard and tried to pick up the pace. It wasn’t easy since it seemed that the enemy just popped out of nowhere. Since they were busy fighting each other, he was able to make it through without being noticed. He ran through a plane and took a moment to look for the rally point through his scope. The piece he was standing on fell and he slid right in the middle of a ring of Makarov’s men. He startled them but he was outnumbered and he was prepared to meet his maker.

With the gunfire everywhere, it was hard to hear who was shooting at whom. Instead MacTavish saw who was shot when he saw Makarov’s men falling over and their bodies were spraying blood. He looked around, prepared to fight Shepherd’s men and he scrambled to take cover.

“Need a little help there, Captain?”

MacTavish peeked around his cover to find none other than Captain Walker holding his M4 with a slight grin on his face. He was flanked by two of his men who were covering him. MacTavish said, “What the bloody hell are you doing here?”

“Just doing my part with Makarov’s men,” Kyle offered with a shrug as he offered MacTavish a hand up. He then added, “Plus I heard that you might be in a little bit of trouble. Seems General Shepherd has amnesia.”

“So you heard?”

“I heard something about traitors somewhere,” Kyle replied as he looked around. “I said to myself that it was a load of bullshit.” He looked MacTavish in the eye and leaned in close. In a low voice he added, “I know my sister and I know you guys. You’re not traitors.”

“Glad to hear of it but you could get in trouble for this,” MacTavish countered as he gestured at himself. “You’re under orders.”

“Actually,” the lieutenant accompanying Kyle said, “We are under orders to eliminate the current terrorist threat in this sector and frankly you’re not a terrorist sir.” He gave a grin as he shifted in his spot.

 MacTavish didn’t know if he should feel elated that he wasn’t alone out here. Price said to trust no one but this was his Nico’s brother. He had rescued the man from certain death and they had worked together not only to escape but to salvage the op. Santana was not someone that could betray him. He nodded and then said, “You have my thanks mate but I need to be getting out of here and if you don’t want Shepherd on your arses you better leave now.”

_Soap, let Makarov and Shepherd’s men kill each other off as much as you can._

Kyle heard the transmission and his lip twitched. He replied, “Well you put me in a tough spot Captain MacTavish. Now I’m guessing you have a rally point and between you and it is a warzone that is firing at each other but they wouldn’t hesitate to fire on you.”

“It’s doable.”

“Right.” Kyle then adjusted his headset and gave the order, “Devil Dogs, executing plan B. Continue current mission. Devil Pup is on the move.”

_Roger that. Devil Pup on the move._

Kyle grinned at MacTavish and asked, “Care for a jog?”

MacTavish couldn’t help but return the grin with one of his own. He started off and Kyle followed along with his lieutenant and a sergeant. They picked their way through the boneyard only shooting if it was necessary. He thought it had to be hard for Kyle since he occasionally had to fire upon his own guys meaning Shepherd’s men. He may not be a Marine like Kyle but he understood very well what it meant in terms of the loyalty and faithfulness. Nicolette had told him that Semper Fidelis was the heart and soul of the Marines.

_I’m going to use their comms to listen in on their radio traffic and try to contact Makarov._

“Copy that Price.” MacTavish held up mentioning the Devil Dogs He didn’t know how Price would feel about that since they had just been betrayed by Shepherd.

He did a side glance when he heard Kyle call into his comm, “Read you loud and clear. Santana moving in.”

_Copy._

MacTavish looked at Kyle as they paused to check their corners. “Seems like you know people.”

“It’s a gift. Ask Nicky.”

_Makarov, this is Price. Shepherd’s a war hero now. He’s got your operations playbook and he’s got a blank check. Give me what you got on Shepherd and I’ll take care of the rest._

Technically Kyle shouldn’t have been hearing this. He should have shot MacTavish for consorting with the enemy but he said nothing and continued to help MacTavish push through. MacTavish knew he was hearing the same thing he was. Price was making a deal with the devil on this but what did they have to lose now? The submarine missile launch may have been questionable but this wasn’t.

_I know you can hear me on this channel Makarov. You and I both know you won’t last a week._

_And neither will you._

_Makarov… you ever hear the old saying the enemy of my enemy is my friend?_

_Price, one day you’re going to find that cuts both ways. Anya knew that which is why there is a price on her head. Shepherd is using Site Hotel Bravo. You know where it is. I’ll see you in hell._

_Looking forward to it. Give my regards to Zakhaev if you get there first._

They just made it to within two hundred meters. Kyle said, “Keep going. Don’t get pinned down. Head west for the runway!”

_Nikolai just shut up and land the bloody plane! We’re on our way!_

MacTavish could see Shepherd and Makarov’s men all over the place below and the runway was just ahead. He turned to Kyle who was checking on his guys. “Not that much further. We can make it if we run.”

“Not really Captain,” Kyle said. He looked at MacTavish and put a hand on his shoulder. “We got you as far as we can. I have snipers for some support but you have to go now. We’ll hold off at least Makarov’s men. You worry about Shepherd’s men.”

“You should be coming with.”

“I’ve got orders, Captain. Apart from the shit we do chasing the bastards hiding in the caves, we are support for other units. Just not officially if you catch my drift.” He gave a slightly raised brow. “Some things come higher than even Shepherd.” He looked out, “Go now and make sure Nicky stays out of trouble.”

MacTavish was going to say something but he was urged by Kyle to get going. He jumped down and slid down the hill. He managed to catch Kyle saying, “Alright Devil Dogs, let’s give ‘em hell!”

 _Crazy bastard._ MacTavish jumped to his feet and started sprinting. He took out whoever was shooting at him.

_Soap hurry! We gotta get to Nikolai’s plane. Keep heading west! I’m getting some transport. Keep going!_

_Captain Price, I’m taking off in one minute! You better hurry if you want a ride out of here!_

Price didn’t need to waste his breath on telling MacTavish to haul ass. MacTavish was in the transport that he had secured and locked and loaded. Rook was in the driver’s seat and was ready to gun the engine as soon as he was in. MacTavish reloaded and punched out the windshield as Rook gunned the vehicle in reverse.

“Santana, we got the package. Good luck.”

_Semper Fi, Price. Santana out._

There was no time to think about the fact that Price knew the Devil Dogs or at least their commanding officer. MacTavish focused on the vehicle that was coming towards them while Rook was going in full reverse. If he could take out the driver, then that would be one less after them. He aimed carefully and as best as he could and fired.

“Hang on!”

MacTavish had taken out the gunner when Rook did a one-eighty and turned the vehicle to face the direction of Nikolai’s plane. There was a slight jerk as the vehicle lurched forwards and Rook gunned the engine. The three of them were jostled as the vehicle lurched but it was automatic for MacTavish to bring his gun up and pick off hostiles that were advancing.

The ground rattled nearby as the rockets from the little Birds in the air fired towards them. MacTavish recognized them and thought that this was bloody perfect. He directed to Rook, “Don’t make yourself an easy target! Maintain speed as best as you can and do what you can. Ram them if you have to.” He turned around to look for anything that was coming at them. What he wouldn’t give for an RPG or something.

_What is it with you and big guns? Big ego?_

A rocket exploded and a hostile vehicle flipped over. It was still in their way and Rook swerved to avoid colliding with it. They had narrowly missed being hit by a Little Bird rocket when Rook swerved. It took out an enemy hostile. Whether it was Shepherd’s or Makarov’s it didn’t matter. It was one less on the road. MacTavish swerved and saw another vehicle coming up from behind, “Behind us!”

Price took a look but when he looked back there was one in front. He lifted his weapon and fired. “Right side! Right side!”

They had passed under the wings of a plane and a hostile ended ramming them on MacTavish’s side. He whipped his weapon in front of him and fired since the enemy was pretty much danger close. He sprayed bullets since some were going to hit anyway. He took out the gunners in the back of the truck as he almost fell on his back from the kick of his weapon and to avoid taking a hit. The terrain didn’t help and he couldn’t get up.

Rook was driving like a mad man and it took all either captain had to not jerk the wheel out of his hands. In essence he was pretty much keeping them alive as they off roaded the edges of the boneyard. MacTavish grunted when they went past the tail of a plane. Something hit him and Rook hit a bunch of old tires and sent them flying as he barreled towards where Nikolai’s plane was. A sharp left had them back on the runway but Rook had to maneuver to get into position.

“Nikolai, drop the bloody ramp!”

The vehicle jerked as Rook started forward. He gave the vehicle a bit of gas and it lurched forward like it was choking on something but it was running. They gunned it towards the plane and the ramp started to lower. It looked like they were going to get out of there. But they weren’t out of the woods yet.

“Vehicles at twelve o’clock!”

MacTavish saw them and commenced firing. He was running low on ammo but luckily he had saved most of it when he made his way through the boneyard on his own and with the help of the Devil Dogs. He took out the gunners on one and it looked like the driver lost control and they went toppling over the edge. There were others coming and one got right in front of them.

“Hang on!”

Rook ended up ramming the front of their vehicle into the back of the other and it jolted them forward. It was the opportunity for the enemy to get off a few shots. One got lucky and hit Rook. The man slumped over dead in the front seat while MacTavish was firing on the other vehicles trying to get them to back down.

“Soap! Rook is down. Take the wheel!”

MacTavish turned to see the dead man in the driver’s seat. He grabbed the wheel and began to steer to try and line up with the open door of the plane just up ahead. He couldn’t drive and fire at the same time even though he had his gun up in a good firing position. He had to concentrate on driving.

_Now this is the definition of side seat driving._

MacTavish grunted when the vehicle started to drift left after hitting loose asphalt. He pulled to get the wheel to turn and get them back on track. He could hear Price firing his weapon to keep them off them. He could see a vehicle coming up on their right.

“Aim for the ramp!”

MacTavish moved his arm to steer. The vehicle was swerving left and right as he tried to drive from his seat. It was a lot harder than it looked and he gritted his teeth and actually prayed that they would make it. He figured it would be stupid to die if he missed and they flipped or something. Then again there really wasn’t a smart way of dying.

He managed to get the vehicle on a trajectory to drive up the ramp. It seemed like they were speeding up and MacTavish realized that they didn’t have a way of stopping. Rook was dead in the driver’s seat. He kept his grip on the wheel and tried to reach the brakes. He almost had his foot nearby and ready to slam down on them when they were jolted from the side by an enemy vehicle trying to ram them off the road.

MacTavish corrected and in so doing, he lost his position to hit the brakes. By then it was too late. The front tires hit the edge of the ramp and they were pushed around. MacTavish’s foot was off the brakes completely and was trying to hold on. The vehicle bounced around as it entered the plane and hit what usually served as benches for men going on a mission. It was teeth rattling and MacTavish kept his mouth shut to prevent him from biting his tongue off. No doubt Price was doing the same as they came to a crashing halt when the front of the vehicle hit the back of the cargo area and then started to slide backwards as the plane made its ascent into the sky. It slid until the wheels twisted and it came to an awkward stop.

MacTavish released the breath he had been holding in and looked around to find that his door was pinned by the side and he had come close to hitting his head. He rubbed his shoulder and felt the sore spot from when he probably hit the wing of a plane or a tire hit him.

“I thought you said you could drive,” Price muttered as he shifted from his position and stood to jump out.

“Shut up old man,” MacTavish muttered as he pretty much fell out. He felt embarrassed but he was at an awkward angle. “You try side seat driving.”

“Already did. I crashed.”

They both gave a humorless chuckle. The reality of the situation would settle in soon enough. Right now they had to come up with a plan. Now that they knew where Shepherd was holed up in, they were going to go in and give him hell.


	21. Chapter 21

Said looked over at Nicolette as she sat looking down at the table. There was a forlorn expression on her face and he knew that she was more likely seeing what she had been telling him during their talks. He cleared his throat and said, “Well it looks like MacTavish and Price were wrong in thinking you were dead. You’re still here.”

“But when you are in a position where you don’t know… you tend to go with worst case scenario,” she replied softly as she gently tapped the table.

“You thought they were dead.”

“Roach and Ghost… Archer… Ozone… Scarecrow… MacTavish and Price… the 141 was condemned all on the say so of one man. I was counted with them or rather Lt. Nicole Price was.” Nicolette pursed her lips as she took a breath. She looked at the glass window that had people viewing her but she couldn’t see them. She wondered what they were thinking of. She looked back at Said and added, “We went there on good intel and we managed to get an edge with the DSM. I should know because I built it.”

“You built the DSM?” Said raised his brow. As a spy you had a general skill set but there were some things that you could specialize in.

“If you had been listening to the story then you would know that my skill set lies in computers, systems, wiring… anything with a microchip,” Nicolette countered. She shrugged her shoulders as she continued, “I just tend to be good with people because it is the way how I see the world.”

“Like a system,” Said affirmed.

“So you have been listening.”

“I found that I had to do it if I was to keep up even remotely with you.” Said couldn’t help but grin at Nicolette. He had been listening and he had been going over the tapes that had been transcribed and archived. It was an impressive story so far and he could see now some things and they were starting to make sense. It was a good thing that he kept Pope out of this. Had he been there, they wouldn’t have found out things that weren’t even in the official report. He looked at Nicolette and said, “I just find it very almost unlikely that you could build a DSM module and have someone from your team able to link it up.”

“Best to keep things simple, Said,” she replied. “Had to since getting in and out is the priority when on a mission.” Nicolette sat back in her seat and stretched. She tapped the glass that held her water and just looked around absently. It was like she was trying to find the right words to go on but also waiting for a question or two.

Even Said knew that having had to be a tagalong once or twice with a tier one team. He nodded and then said, “They were your band of brothers.”

Nicolette looked at Said pointedly and replied firmly, “Yes. And it hurt to think that I was the only one left.”

“What did you… decide to do?”

Nicolette liked Said’s choice of words. He really picked up on how things were and if he wanted something he had to ask the right questions. Some she noticed were more for idle curiosity. Still he was good and she had to admire that. It was what made him a good interrogator. She looked at Said and gave a slight grin, “I decided to call upon an old friend.”

“A friend? Nikolai?”

“No.”

Said was a little confused. He looked at Nicolette. She was still grinning t him like she was waiting for him to ask the most obvious questions. He took it as a challenge to find the not so obvious questions since there was a point to this. He asked, “Then who?”

Nicolette grinned even though she was still feeling deeply about what she had just revealed about the betrayal. She took a deep breath and sighed. Said was going to love this. She replied, “After everything Said… I made a decision and that was to call up an old friend and maybe give a few people what they really wanted.”

Said thought about it for a moment as he looked at her. There were a couple of people that he knew that she had mentioned so far. It then became clear. He leaned forward and then asked, “Are you saying…”

Nicolette nodded and then answered, “There was one person I knew that would be able to help me with Shepherd and was she glad to help.” She looked at Said with a firm look. “So I decided to give Shepherd the one thing that he had me try to find. I was going to give him what he wanted. I decided to give him the Black Fox.”

~0~0~

There was noise all around but Nicolette wasn’t hearing it. She stared straight ahead at nothing while she rubbed her hands together absently as her forearms rested on her knees. Her breathing was controlled and deliberate as she stared ahead. Her thoughts were focused on the events that occurred within the past few hours.

They were in the middle of Misha giving what he knew about Alex Mason to his son David. It was the basics in terms of a relative knowing what happened when Mason when he was working for CIA. It wasn’t probative since it was dealing with an incident during the fights in Angola and then Afghanistan but for her purposes, it gave her substance to the man that she was investigating.

Misha was very informative and answered Section’s questions as he asked him. When he was satisfied, she thanked Misha in Russian and he told her something important in Russian. It was… she couldn’t remember it now. She couldn’t remember because after he told her, there were explosions meaning mortar fire.

That nagging feeling she had earlier tugged full force as she looked in the direction of mortar fire. She called into her radio and started running towards the sounds. It was automatic and she didn’t even realize that she was being followed closely by Duke, Section and Misha and his man. Her only thoughts were on the team and it sounded like they were in trouble.

_Heavy… mortar… fire…_

Ghost’s voice was on the radio after she managed to get it working and she called into it trying to get a sitrep. Nothing was going through though and yet she kept trying. She looked over when the sounds of little Birds caught her ears and recognized them from Shepherd’s outfit. That meant that there was backup against Makarov’s men.

They were still on the ridge and the quickest way down was straight down. It was risky since the risk of injury was great but still. She took the leap amidst shouts at her and slid down. She just went with it until she got to the tree line that was cornering where the helicopters were firing. She saw Ghost half carrying and half dragging Roach towards the plane where Shepherd was. She couldn’t help but smile in relief that they were okay and it looked like they had the DSM meaning they found something useful to track down their man.

She was going to start to join them when she saw the muzzle flash and Roach was down. Next thing she knew Ghost was down and it felt like the air left her lungs. Shepherd… he betrayed them… There was a click and she turned around and sighed. She asked, “Tell me something: is this because you want to or are you just following orders?”

Duke was pointing his handgun at her. He looked like he was going to regret what would happen if he pulled the trigger. His hand was shaking as he looked at her with his dirt covered face. He replied, “I… I don’t want to do this.”

“But you have orders,” she said. She motioned to the others that had managed to catch up. She gave a shake of her head, “Well you got a choice here. You can shoot me and be part of what is going on there or you cannot shoot…”

In the end the kid lowered his weapon. She questioned him and put him to good use as well as the others. She saw red when she saw what they were going to do to Roach and Ghost. She may have been a shoulder for the most part but there were lines that she wouldn’t cross. So she made it seem like Shepherd was under attack and chased them away.

The wait was interminable but they had to make sure that Shepherd was gone and the kid went with them with his instructions. It was then that she went out and…

_Ryan?_

The blood was everywhere. It was on the bodies. It was on her hands…

“Ryan.”

Nicolette looked up and saw Section looking at her. She took in the dirt covering his person and his equipment. He looked tired but she didn’t blame him considering what they had just been through. She simply said, “I’m sorry.”

Section studied her. She had been obscenely quiet ever since she shot Shepherd in the shoulder with her sniper rifle, killed the lackey with the gasoline container and started emergency field treatment for the two guys they were going to burn literally. At the time she actually scared him when she was ready to do worse than what she did; it was different from when she got him in a chokehold when he first approached her. Now she was like the rookies he had seen when they first shot at somebody. She hadn’t even washed the blood off her hands.

Sitting beside her he replied, “Nothing to be sorry about. You kind of expect the unexpected in this line of work.”

“Maybe,” Nicolette replied as she stared straight ahead. Her thoughts were on something else but she was listening to the conversation. “And there is always room for doubt.”

“Kind of thinking could get yourself killed.”

“And I seem to defy it at times.” Nicolette closed her eyes and then looked at Section. “You know I’ve almost died about maybe three different occasions, been in more missions that had less than 15% chance of survival and I still walked away.”

“Could owe it up to training.”

“Maybe,” Nicolette replied as she remembered her training at the farm. “My training officer said something about it all coming down to the training and it makes the difference between life and death and if I fell I better damn be sure that I am nothing left before giving up. Something like that.” She shrugged her shoulders, “More or less. I thought he was an ass.”

Section gave a humorless chuckle, “I suppose I should thank the ass for teaching you what you needed to know. You wouldn’t be here.”

Nicolette gave a dry chuckle in agreement, “Perhaps.” She looked at her blood covered hands and sighed. There had to be news otherwise Section wouldn’t have sought her out. “Anything from David?”

“They kicked me out. David did say that he come when he was finished… one way or another. Whatever that means.”

Nicolette hummed to herself. “Fucking Mossad never leaves,” she muttered with a slight smile. “Then…” She reached to look for her cell phone. Her radio ended up getting badly damaged on the way down from the ridge and the subsequent sacrifice to scaring off Shepherd and his men. If she wanted to make sure that MacTavish and Price were alive, the only thing she had left was the burner phone.

Reaching into the vest pocket it was carried in she frowned at what she found. She pulled out a mangled piece of scrap. She could make out ballistic damage and blinked. Shepherd’s men fired back at them and she vaguely remembered something hitting her but she kept going. It looked like it was ricochet or something. Either way, the phone was destroyed. “Fucking shit.”

Section looked at the piece of mangled crap. Even he could see that she had been very lucky. “Fuck,” he muttered. “You were right.”

“Son of a bitch,” Nicolette said as she leaned back. She then checked her watch and pressed the buttons to make the adjustments. Luckily she still had her earpiece. “Addy, come in.”

_I read you S64._

Nicolette sighed in relief. She had grown fond of the AI and it would have been hard if she hadn’t found a means of communicating with her. “Sit rep?” She adjusted it so Section could hear. There wasn’t a point in keeping secrets now.

_Getting conflicting reports but the general wire is that General Shepherd has declared Task Force 141 disavowed. Surviving members are declared enemies of the state._

“What the fuck? That’s crazy,” Section countered. “The 141 has worked with JSOC on reducing threats in South America.”

_I still have access to the original reports but the official records are now with restricted access. Any attempt and security will know. It appears that a story is being concocted that the 141 was collaborating with the enemy all the time thus enabling the invasion of the United States._

Nicolette was looking at her watch for the lack of anything better to do. She murmured, “So you _were_ the one that gave up Private Allen. Shepherd you fucking bastard. I should have gone for the head shot.”

“It wouldn’t have done much and your distance was…”

“I was taught by a sniper Section. I know how to make a shot,” Nicolette countered as she looked up at the man with a firm look. Oh she did remember because that was the first time MacTavish touched her in a fairly intimate manner if only to make a point about things. Ever since then she just had to imagine his touch and she could make the shot.

At that moment David came out. He was wiping his hands and he was followed by his dog Ari. “Am I interrupting?”

Nicolette lowered her arm and looked at David, “Not at all. You have something for me?”

David looked at Nicolette. She was making it sound like she was getting information like the last few times they met around the globe. He could see though that she was anxious. So he wasn’t going to lie. He shook his head slowly, “I’ve done what I can with what I have.”

Nicolette blinked as she read the expression on David’s face. She knew now. She sighed, “That is all that can be done… Thank you.”

David frowned, “There is still a chance.”

Nicolette had turned on her heel and started pacing in the hall. “Not at this time for that. Have to press forward.”

“And do you think revenge is the answer?”

A deafening silence fell upon the group. Nicolette looked at David and then at Section. Was it revenge? True she wished to gut the bastard but there are things that had to be done. Worst case scenario her true ID would be revealed and disavowed and she would be hunted along with them. If the Kid played his cards right then…

“Excuse me but little Anya, you have a phone call waiting,” Misha said as he came from where he had been waiting out of respect for his friend. He held out a cell phone and said, “I don’t know how your people know where you are when you need them… It’s like a bad joke brought on by bad vodka.”

Nicolette looked at the other two before taking the phone and saying, “No such thing as bad vodka Misha. Only those that drink like Russians and those that can’t.”

“True. Well I must go. After this Makarov will want to regroup. He already told me where.”

“Then go.”

“Be careful little Anya. He is now very dangerous and in truth you are as well. Think on that.” Misha gave a slight gesture before wishing her good bye in Russian and taking his leave. He looked at the others who didn’t say anything and gave a slight smile that was faint. It seemed that there were meant to be men who knew how to band those with no connection together and some did it through hate and others… He silently wished her luck knowing that she will do what she had to do.

Nicolette watched Misha and then turned away to talk, “Hello?”

_I can see why Nicole Price would be considered an enemy of the state._

“Not funny, Jensen,” Nicolette replied as she looked around. She could see doctors and nurses running around doing whatever it was that they do. “I am not even going to ask how you found me since you seem to know where I am.”

_You don’t get to be in my position unless you know how to sidestep a few landmines… a skill you are growing in._

“Flattery your thing now? What do you need?”

_I know that it is a setup. David filled me in on what happened when you called in for medical transport. I was interested since you have never used our channels before for retrieval._

“Can’t really trust the military right now,” she replied as she looked around as if she expected Shepherd and his goons to pop out and start firing at them. “Except those that pretty much wouldn’t turn their back on you.”

_Indeed. I’ve checked and your cover is intact. You are still Nicole Price and to Gold Eagle you are pretty much dead._

“Not the first time,” Nicolette replied with slight sarcasm. “Jensen, he has Makarov’s playbook but he is going to use the 141 as traitors to start a war.”

_Don’t tell me you think he wants this?_

“Find me a better explanation,” Nicolette countered. She paused and sighed since she caught sight of bloody rags being carried out. She turned away and continued, “Look Shepherd used what I knew in terms of my cover to find an old friend as well as create the cover for Allen. You know my skills and you tried to tell me before. He used me to create this.”

_I know. I think you knew then too but you are who you are and that is why you were deemed to be successful in this program._

“Right,” she muttered, “Jensen, the real question I would like to know is the endgame plan. I…”

_Makarov is a whore, a mad dog driven to the kill Lieutenant…_

Nicolette knew that this was not only an attempt to bring in another war but a chance to get rid of things that they couldn’t do through other machinations. The ultranationalists were in power, voted in legally and people forgot how the west helped bring down insurgency. That was one thing but the way how Shepherd was vehement every time he mentioned the man’s name… Five years ago 30,000 perished in the nuclear attack…

_S64, with the way things are going, I’m recommending that you lay low for the time being. We need to find out if you are truly compromised._

“Negative,” Nicolette replied as she looked at her companions. A plan was starting to form. “I need to take care of something.”

_This is not a good idea. Personal vendettas…_

“It’s been personal for quite a while Jensen.” Nicolette started walking down the hall after beckoning Section and David to follow. “No one gets away with sullying good men like that.”

_Stand down…_

“Try and stop me.” Nicolette pushed the button to end the call. She glanced back at Section and David and said, “This isn’t over yet. Shepherd will prolong this conflict to make the Russians bleed for what happened five years ago.”

“And what was that about sullying good men?” David raised his brow at her. “What are you planning?”

“Call it revenge if you like but I am doing my job. It’s the one we took up when we joined SP, David.” Nicolette marched out towards the stairwell and started going down. She tapped her earpiece and asked, “Addy, do you have Shepherd’s location?”

_Confirmed. Target is at Site Hotel Bravo. Shall I bring up the map?_

“I know where it is,” she said. “Have transport waiting.”

“Now I know that this isn’t going to be good,” David said.

Nicolette stopped and turned to look at the two men. Misha had gone back to his undercover work with Makarov. He would be her eyes and ears there unless he had to get out. She looked at Section and said, “Section, I need you to go back and pretend like nothing happened.”

“What the fuck? No…”

“Do it,” Nicolette said firmly. She paused to make sure it sunk in that she was serious. “You have a job to do with JSOC and someone needs to keep an eye on things with what goes on elsewhere. The world doesn’t stop for one man.”

“You’re crazy, Ryan.”

“Been called that more than you know,” she agreed with a slight smile. “And I haven’t forgotten other things. Believe me I’m still looking too.”

Section sighed. He did want to help and he had helped considering that he fired on US soldiers. So far no one knew of his involvement. He could see her point though since he had another HVT that he was focused on. “Fine but whatever you’re planning, you better have an exit strategy.”

“I’m well versed in contingency even if it may be a one way trip,” Nicolette replied. She grasped Section’s forearm and he gripped hers in understanding. She then looked at David and at the slight shaking of his head she said, “David, I need you to stay here. There isn’t anyone else I trust.”

David shook his head, “No. I am in enough shit here.”

“Whatever happened to that Hippocratic Oath you took?” Nicolette gave a slight smile. It was gentle teasing but it wasn’t completely teasing since she was being serious. “That statement you made when you became a doctor?”

David narrowed his eyes. Sighing he replied, “Fine, but I think this is motivated by revenge.”

“Maybe but there is a bit of what I do best in there too.”

“Can I ask what are you going to do?” Section looked at Nicolette with a raised brow.

“Give Shepherd what he wanted ever since I joined the 141,” Nicolette replied with a determined look. “The Black Fox.”


	22. Chapter 22

Hotel Site Bravo was supposed to be a secret base out in the deserts of Afghanistan. It was run like any base in the middle of the war zones in this part of the world and like anything else the security was all the same. True some adjustments were made since it was embedded within the cave structure that had been excavated for that purpose along with the underground river caverns but pretty much standard.

As a spy, it was her job to collect information on what the other side was doing and do what she had been ordered to do in order to protect those that they threatened. Sometimes that involved setting things up so the target takes the fall and the reputation is ruined. Sometimes it involved killing the target. In the end, the job gets done. Some have gotten used to the feeling of taking lives. Since it never goes away, they learn to deal with it. Some haven’t and it ate them up.

Nicolette squatted at the edge of the cliff she was looking down on. She had arrived at Hotel Site Bravo about a mile out, dropped in by one another friend of David’s who knew a thing or two about helicopters. She hiked it in and avoided being seen by the guards. True she could have taken out the patrols with her gun but she wanted to have a little interference as possible. Besides she knew the layout of the place.

_Shift change completed. I still think you are rushing things._

Nicolette tapped her ear to adjust her earpiece. She murmured her reply, “It is not rushing when you are working on a schedule, Addy.”

_Says the overly OCD operative._

Nicolette chuckled as she adjusted the glasses that Section had given her and peered down. She could rappel as needed and then take to the shadows. “Tell me something Addy: do you feel any attachments?”

_An irrelevant question considering I am nothing more than the sum of complex algorithms and equations._

Nicolette removed the rope that had been slung around her waist and tied it off. She adjusted the harness and made sure everything was secure. “Evasion was always your best tactic,” she replied with a grin as she prepared to rappel down.

_I see your point in this and I think that Captain MacTavish would say you are being foolish… not that you would listen._

“Oh I would listen. Just that I don’t care right now,” Nicolette replied as she began her descent. She flipped so she was face forward since she could make out a lone guard below her. “Right now I care about a little payback and then I can devote my full attention to Makarov.”

_You’re hardly convincing anyone. I’ve managed to locate the plans for the base. Uploading them now onto your display._

“Thanks Addy.”

_You’re welcome. I do have the monitors active. Shall I provide a status?_

“Has it changed?”

_No but they are stable._

“Then no. Only when it changes. Status on the DSM?”

_Encrypted program was activated the moment the download was triggered. Data being uploaded to the remote server for analysis._

_S64, be alert. Multiple guards occupy all levels._

“I’m well aware of that,” Nicolette replied before she adjusted her position. She was hovering above the guard and had a knife ready just in case. She could release the clamp and land right on the guy and have him dead before he uttered a cry. She dangled above and looked down like a spider looking at a fly caught in her web.

The guard finally moved and when he was completely gone, Nicolette released the clamp and dropped to the ground. She landed with a dull thud that came from years of practice as a gymnast and when she had minor instruction from an operative who knew jujitsu. She had her rifle in her hand, ready to use just in case the guard came back and checked her corners before rising to her feet.

The plan was fairly simple. She was going to arrange a meeting between Shepherd and the Black Fox and in preferably a private setting. She just had to get the man alone and avoid being seen by the guards. It would be difficult to get in if there was a heightened security alert. Besides she wanted a good feel for the place before she started doing things like taking over the control systems by hacking into them or maybe just sabotaging Shepherd’s only means of escape. Then she could take her sweet time introducing the Black Fox to the man.

Checking the layout from the plans that Addy was feeding her, Nicolette made her way into the tunnels and caverns. It was like a maze and one could easily get lost in them. They were also dark so you needed light in order to see and Nicolette held off making the choice to switch to night vision. She could still see and because of what she was wearing, she could easily hide.

“You think there are any alive?”

“Nah. We got them all.”

“But what about what happened in Russia? It was like there was…”

Nicolette paused and ducked into a crevice. She lowered her head slightly as she listened. Apparently they were talking about what happened in Russia. She mused to herself at how fast gossip liked to travel and that certainly seemed to be the case here.

“More likely they were Makarov’s men. They couldn’t shoot for shit.”

“One hit the general.”

“Lucky shot. To be honest I would have been scared shitless to do what that kid was ordered to do to Shepherd’s prize intelligence officer. Heard she was something.”

“Heard? I saw it. Remember the Montero campaign?”

“Pff.”

Nicolette shook her head as they walked past her. She didn’t really care how they thought about her in regards to her abilities in making men sing a different tune if they didn’t get the hint the first time. She had been given special treatment and probably this was because she had taken advantage of his good graces and not in a manner to his liking or that was highly suspicious. Maybe he did figure out she was a spy and was toying with him in regards to the Black Fox. They were questions she would like answers to when she got the chance to meet with him. When they were gone, she emerged from her hiding place and moved forward. She looked around and checked her plans, looking for where she wanted to go.

_I admit that this is not what I expected._

Nicolette finished hooking up wiring and tapping into the computer that she had acquired before deploying out. “As we went over when we started Addy. Contingency.”

_And I am not sure whether or not to be nervous by what you mean by that._

Nicolette hummed as she looked around and then at her computer. She grinned, “I’m in and accessing security, everything.” This was her area apart from a few other things that she excelled in. She pulled anything and everything that would be of interest.

_Am I correct in assuming that you will have access to cause trouble much like when you hacked the Swiss bank?_

“Something like that but this isn’t thwarting a robbery,” Nicolette replied as she looked at what she needed. She also initiated a download. “Getting this Addy?”

_Yes. For someone who performs covert ops you certainly have a lot of currency in the form of information._

“Best currency there is.” Nicolette finished what she was doing and disconnected her computer. “I’m all set. Now I can access anything remotely. Time for something else…” She studied her plans and found something. She gave a slight grin and nodded. “Got it. Addy, maintain security watch.”

_Copy that. Try not to get killed… again._

“You’ve been listening to Soap one too many times.”

_I like him._

Nicolette gave a slight smile. She actually didn’t know if he was all right or not. Addy couldn’t get a read on her sensors. There was always the possibility of damage done to them. Nothing was completely damage proof though she had drooled over computer equipment that could survive harsh conditions. Price hadn’t been set up yet so she really didn’t know and she had conflicting reports from Addy who was trying to sort it out. She would worry about that later. Right now though she was pissed that her closest friends had been caught up in this; she feared it happening and now… it happened. She felt her temper rise and her hand subconsciously drifted towards the knife she had carried all those years and her fingers touched the hilt.

She took a breath and continued on her way. It was tempting to kill anyone in her way but that was counterproductive to what she wanted in the end. Knowing Price, if he was still breathing, he would launch a suicide campaign and just do what he did best; she personally thought he might as well be a robot. Lowering her hand she started in the direction she needed to go in.

_Guard, twelve o’clock._

Looking around, Nicolette found what could get her across faster and without being seen. Seeing what she wanted and sort of rolling her eyes, she ran towards the edge of the walk she was on and leapt. She grabbed what she was aiming for and used her momentum to get up into the piping. Once up she paused and spotted the two guards patrolling the walk she had been on.

_Clear._

One thing she was certain of, Shepherd would have a means of making a quick exit. That would be the best place to make introductions. She found it and grinned at the guards around it. Of course since it was the general’s and generally you had to guard your equipment. She scanned the area and noted the positions and crept through the piping overhead. She paused when she noticed that there was a shift change.

 _Great_ , she thought to herself as she wiped some sweat from her brow. She looked around to think about what she was going to do when she had an idea come to her. “Addy,” she whispered, “How good are you at changing your voice?”

_You have something in mind?_

“Yep,” Nicolette replied as she grinned at the guards. She then relayed her idea to the AI and almost wanted to laugh at the response. She held it in though while the AI did her thing.

Taking the chance, she circled around to make sure she wasn’t seen. She had noticed someone in the cockpit. It looked like the pilot. Well that would be helpful since all she could fly was a helicopter and a Little Bird at that. If she tried something bigger, she might have crashed. And they say the hardest part is taking off.

She made her way in through the lowered ramp in the back. She was familiar with this kind of plane since she had to jump out of one similar to it a couple of times. She was quiet as she pulled out a pistol and put the silencer on it. She really didn’t want to kill the pilot but sometimes a fear of death was a great motivator. If a problem arose she would deal with it later. She approached the pilot with catlike stealth, fingering her kiffeyeh for luck. Gently she pressed the barrel to the back of the pilot’s head she said in a low voice, “That is the barrel of a nine millimeter pointed at your head right where the sweet spot is. If I pull the trigger it will be instant death unless you do what I say. Is that clear?”

The pilot had his hands raised. He was stiff like he was in shock and it certainly showed in his voice, “I’ll do what you want but would you shoot me Ryan?”

_What the fuck?_

****

“And that was it, sir,” Duke said as he stood shuffling his feet slightly. He kept his position straight as he looked at General Shepherd. He silently wished that he hadn’t ever been involved in this.

“So she had no idea that you were sent to take care of loose ends?” Shepherd eyed the young private as his shoulder was being bandaged. He grunted at the medic to hurry and finish with what he was doing.

“None sir.” Duke cleared his throat as he said that. He remembered how it all went down. He had gotten the orders on the frequency. He was told that it was time to take care of loose ends and that he was to eliminate the traitor Lt. Price and it had him become fearful. He didn’t like it and he suspected that something had been fishy the moment he had been assigned as her security.

She seemed to have anticipated it since she turned to look at him with an expectant look. He knew then that he couldn’t carry out his orders. He didn’t like the fact that he had been given them in the first place. The general made it seem that he was worried for her safety and assigned him as her security when she wasn’t with her unit and he was willing to go with it since he got the feeling that she was important to their overall objective which was Makarov.

She spoke to him like it was a normal conversation even though her life was in her hands, “Well you got a choice here. You can shoot me and be part of what is going on there or you cannot shoot…”

He chose not to shoot but his gun was still raised. That was when her contacts came busting in. The one that was a SEAL pinned him into a nearby tree even though she said not to get so physical. The Russian would have probably shot him dead and not care. It was fitting in his mind since this was the lowest thing he could have ever done.

“You think that you could get away with this?”

Duke remembered the SEAL asking him that after he stripped him of his guns and pointed his rifle at him. She was looking at him like a parent that had been sorely disappointed in their kid. That hit worse than anything else. He replied, “I was given orders.”

“Do you know the endgame?”

“No but I was to… take care of loose ends and… report back.”

That led to a questioning of whether or not he could be trusted. He explained himself as best as he could mostly for her benefit. He didn’t care what the others thought about him but her opinion mattered since all she ever did was befriend him and well… It was like having his best friend Allen again. It made being a soldier less lonely and he didn’t even care if she had a thing for her captain and he had a thing for her. Yeah he noticed and he was certain that most of the others in the unit noticed. It wasn’t exactly brain surgery on that note.

In the end, he thought she was going to kill him. He would have accepted that knowing that he betrayed the equivalent of his best friend even though he didn’t technically go through with the act. She didn’t though and approached him with a look in the eye that actually him shaking and it looked like the others were uncomfortable too. She looked at him and said, “Trust is a hard thing to earn when it’s been broken.”

At first he thought it was a riddle but then he realized he was supposed to speak and he replied, “True because just following orders doesn’t reflect what truly exists.” He had no idea why he said that but it seemed to be the right thing to say.

In the end she told him to go back to Shepherd and tell him that the deed was done. He did and now Shepherd was asking for the details. This time he was going to do something that technically flew in the face of everything that he believed in and yet…

“So it is done? The loose ends have been tied up?” Shepherd looked at Duke with a piercing glance as the bandage work was being finished.

“Yes, sir. It was a clean shot to the head.” Duke was making this up but he managed to maintain his composure. He did feel a bit wary since he could be accused of lying and where would that get people?

Shepherd pulled away from the medic once the bandage work was done. The bandages were leaking blood but he still had full function of his arm. He wasn’t going to lose it or anything like that. Still whoever made the shot was trying to make a point and it had him wonder if the private before him really did his job. He peered at the private to determine if he was lying.

Shepherd looked at Duke who was giving a pointed look typical of a soldier who was giving answers as requested. There seemed some reluctance and that was understandable since his lieutenant and the private worked together. At least he followed orders and that was a big thing. “Well done then on that account.”

“I don’t understand the why sir but do know that I do follow orders,” Duke said. It was a bit of a test on his end. There was the possibility that Shepherd could kill him now if he wanted to.

“And it is understandable, Private,” Shepherd replied as he put on a clean shirt and fatigues. “You did work together but you really didn’t know the extent of the crimes committed. That is one of the dangers of having someone too good in their profession. Eventually what can be seen as gathering information is collusion with the enemy.”

“If that is what you say sir.” To Duke that made some sense and a private with a pea for a brain would buy it completely. True there were a few who ended up going into business for themselves and those were the ones that they should be worried about but… not her. Still he had to keep his cover in this one. He added, “If one proves to be a traitor then it has to be taken care of.”

“Glad to see that we see eye to eye,” Shepherd countered as he clapped a hand on Duke’s shoulder. He turned to his aide and asked, “Any word on the boneyard?”

“They were ambushed as the plans laid out, General but Makarov’s men were there too. General shootout,” the aide said as they came up. Paper was shuffled and a computer pad was tapped followed by, “I do have the information ready to load up. The war criminals will be on the wanted lists and all other information has been restricted.”

“Good work,” Shepherd replied as he looked at Duke. The private was valuable but there was something about the whole thing that had him uncertain. Yet he did do the job. He even got him out of the shootout that occurred before they even had a chance to burn the evidence. The private sprung in and shot in the general direction that the bullet that clipped his arm from. He looked at him and said, “And you have done a great service to our country.”

 _And I’m sure you tell yourself that to feel better about this you fucking asshole_ , Duke thought to himself and he nodded silently. He wished the bullet had killed Shepherd instead of wounded him but this is what was he gonna do? He took his licks and he felt even more guilty that he was in this position in the first place.

Shepherd didn’t say anything else except to turn to the medic to ask, “Are you sure…?”

“The arm will be fine. Whoever shot it knew what they were doing,” the medic verified.

_Yeah and I’m sure she had your head in her sights when she fired at her._

At that moment alarms started going off. Duke looked around as Shepherd demanded, “What is going on?”

The report was hardly encouraging. Duke picked up his gun and looked around. If he was to continue this farce he better play his role. He jumped into a protective stance and ready to move. Something was going on and he had a feeling that Shepherd was going to get what was coming to him. He said, “Sir, do we need to set up a perimeter?”

“It’s Price,” Shepherd murmured like he was confused. He should have known that Price would have found a way of finding this place. Great. It seems like he was going to have to clean up house some more. He had to admit that he was surprised that Price was able to make it out of the boneyard and probably MacTavish was with him. “We’re leaving now. Private, go after them.”

That was a turnaround to Duke. Then again since he ‘took care of’ Ryan, it only made sense for him to take out MacTavish and this Price. He looked at the general and replied, “Roger that sir.”

“You’re doing a great service, son. Remember that.” Shepherd watched as Duke left the medical bay and turned to start issuing orders for an immediate evac. “Get my pilot on the horn and have him prep for liftoff.”

“Copy that but… what about…”

“The private will take care of it and if he fails at least there are others who will have orders to shoot on sight,” Shepherd replied with a hard look. He glanced in the direction that Duke had left and an uneasy feeling crossed him. It had him wonder if the lieutenant really was dead like he had ordered the private to do.

He had always suspected that the lieutenant was more than meets the eye. When he first met her, he got the feeling that she was hiding something even though she gave clear and concise reports with everything that was required for the mission that was going on at hand. Then there was the business of seeking out the Black Fox.

She agreed to it after she laid out the possible delays in finding the Black Fox after suggesting a means of trying to get the Black Fox to come out. He wanted the one person that Makarov had the mad eye for and the lieutenant was a means of getting it. In the end though it seemed that she was giving just enough to keep him happy while she pursued he own leads and he suspected that she was following a few others on his dime.

The signs were classic in pointing to an operative in the ranks. He checked though with CIA and they currently had no one fitting her description. He didn’t buy it since she was good. The identity she created for Private Allen was _that_ good. Makarov wouldn’t have known that he had an American in the ranks… that is until he let it be known through certain means.

It was all part of the plan. Five years ago when Al-Asad and that bastard Zakhaev were on the radar, they took out 30,000 men in one day. One day and the whole world just watched. Nothing was done about it and good men were forgotten. The sacrifice made to take down these bastards was forgotten and now the group of the very people they were fighting against was in power. Like he had told Allen, things may change but power always finds a place to rear its head. This was just a means to make the world see and at the same time get the fucking bastards that started this. It was worth the sacrifice… and what he had to do to make it happen.


	23. Chapter 23

MacTavish sighed as he looked through the inventory of the safe house that Nikolai brought them to. They had the location of Shepherd, the bastard, and they were going to take care of this. It was only right considering. The man had good men murdered. Ghost… Roach… Nico…

He really didn’t want to believe that his beautiful Nico was gone. He couldn’t conceive why Shepherd would have her killed unless he thought her to be a liability. It was possible that Shepherd figured out who she was and decided she was a spy for the enemy and had her killed. The reasons didn’t matter. All that mattered was that Shepherd betrayed them… and she suspected it all along.

A small part of him told him that he should have pressed her for her reasons. He had noticed she was uncomfortable being around Shepherd. She gave wry looks hidden by a stoic face during debriefings. He should have pressed and asked her why and he would have listened to anything she said even if it wasn’t ‘proof’ so to speak. Mentally he told himself if he had asked, he would have found means to protect her.

He swore to keep her safe from Makarov since she was being hunted or her alias was. He aimed to keep it and it took all he could not to get excited that they narrowed down Makarov’s hiding places. While he was looking out for one predator, he neglected to see the other and he more than likely lost her. He had to hope didn’t he? But she would have found a means to contact him long before now. She would have found a way.

It vaguely occurred to him that she might have forgotten in that way of hers where it didn’t occur to her to do something like that. He suspected that was why she had the burner phones. It was a reminder. Once he teased her about how she could be meticulous down to what she ate for her three squares but when it came down to phone calls, it went out the window. She had laughed at that and agreed with him. Of course she teased him about his habits and it went back and forth.

It was always a ‘sparring’ match between them. Even when they first met and didn’t like each other they would argue back and forth. Granted MacTavish hadn’t been good at dishing it back as he was now… Looking back and admittedly, if they didn’t fight they would be miserable; it was their thing and one of the reasons why he loved her. All the more reason… _And she would say that revenge isn’t the best answer_ , he thought to himself as he checked the inventory. Softly he muttered, “Well sweetheart there is the saying that revenge is a dish best served cold… which is why we are going to do this.”

Finishing, MacTavish went to bring Price up to speed on what they had. He found Price looking over some diagrams and a map of their part of the world musing. He said, “We’ve got one good UMP. They’ve got a thousand. We don’t know if Makarov’s intel is any good.”

That was the truth. For the past five years they have been chasing the bastard. Now with their backs to the wall, they were doing a one eighty and going to him for help. It was a sticky situation at this point.

_Sometimes you have to work with the devil you know to catch the devil you don’t._

It was a fine time to be remembering things that his Nico had said but they had some validity. Working with Alexi Yeltsin was one such thing. He didn’t like the bitch either and couldn’t understand why his Nico would torture herself in working with her… at least at first. Now it was making some sense and as she said, he didn’t have to like it and only meant that he had a moral conscious whereas Alexi didn’t. He looked at Price and wondered if the man was paying any attention to him. He ventured, “Price… Price?”

Price had heard MacTavish. He had heard every word and had allowed the fact that he may have lost a friend in this mess to sink in. He was fond of the bloody muppet and it hit hard that she might not have made it out of Russia. Like MacTavish he hoped she did but even he knew that if she hadn’t made a call by now, then the odds of her being alive went down. He knew his former sergeant was trying to take it as bravely as he could and while he could have scolded him about their relationship, he didn’t.

When he saw her again for Kingfish, he didn’t think it a coincidence that she would be the one to help them out. This was her area and she was damned good at it. Seeing MacTavish and her talk on their reunion… he really didn’t think much of it except that he was damned glad that he ordered MacTavish to keep an eye on her. He didn’t care then if they killed each other but it did provide some entertainment.

He had wondered if she made it out. He remembered threatening to shoot her himself if she didn’t get out of there. The exfil was already off the ground but his gut told him she could make it out on foot. She was the kind to have a backup plan. It tortured him along with what they put him through in the gulag. It just didn’t seem fair that he would see a friend only to lose them. It was funny to how the world decided to turn.

_Price?_

Upon hearing his name, Price replied, “The healthy human mind doesn’t wake up in the morning thinking this is its last day on Earth. But I think that’s a luxury, not a curse.”

MacTavish said nothing but stared at Price as he looked through the schematics and maps. His former captain just stared as he contemplated things. True he had never seen Price like this before but MacTavish figured that this was his way of coping and… it sort of was putting things into perspective.

Price knew MacTavish was listening and would think about things. He wondered if the bloody Muppet would have thought of this on occasion herself. He continued, “To know you’re close to the end is a kind of freedom. Good time to take… Inventory.

“Outgunned. Outnumbered. Out of our minds on a suicide mission.”

It was a suicide mission they were planning. Logically MacTavish wondered how the hell they were going to pull this off. Yet there was that part of him that was saying to go in and take down as many as he could and let the rest take care of itself. This was going to be a one way trip.

“But the sands and rocks here, stained with thousands of years of warfare… They will remember us. For this. Because out of all our vast array of nightmares, this is the one we choose for ourselves. We go forward like a breath exhaled from the Earth. With vigor in our hearts and one goal in sight…”

“We will kill him,” MacTavish interrupted and oddly enough his accent was soft. It was a firm acknowledgement that they were both going to their deaths most likely.

Price heard MacTavish and turned to look at him. He couldn’t blame MacTavish for wanting to kill Shepherd and he could understand if it was motivated by anger and revenge. Yet looking at the man, Price could see a form of understanding in the younger man’s eyes. They were making the choice and openly acknowledged that this could be their last day on Earth.

MacTavish was well aware that Price was staring at him. He looked at his friend and said, “We don’t have much but it’s good.”

“We leave in an hour then,” Price replied. He took in the nod and watched as MacTavish went to gear up.

Not much was said between the two men as they geared up, maxing out what they could in terms of ammo and other things. It really wasn’t a thing to do small talk; that was more her thing and she had a way of sounding insulting, funny and overall making it feel right no matter what the topic was about. Nikolai came in and said, “I have transport ready my friend.”

“That’s perfect. Up in thirty,” Price said.

“Still no word? From Nico?”

“None,” Price said after casting a glance at MacTavish. Either the man was listening and using it to bolster himself or he was ignoring it. Either way he wanted to be sure. “Nothing.”

“Strange since she always calls.”

Price stepped away and said low to Nikolai, “About that: any reason why she wouldn’t, if she made it out?”

Nikolai shrugged his shoulders and replied, “Many reasons. Damage to her radio. Where she’s at too dangerous. She’s angry like the dragon and not seeing things straight. It’s Nico.”

Price felt his lip twitch under his mustache. He could honestly believe that and was certain that Nikolai knew her a lot better. He thought he heard a chuckle from MacTavish but wasn’t going to go into that. “Alright. Get ready.”

Nikolai went back to prepping the helicopter and making sure that it was ready to go. He looked around the place and gave a slight shake of his head. This was all part of what his friend Nico called contingency. She had done it on the sly while working with this General Shepherd. Perhaps that was the reason why she was now gone and not there; she may have been careful but even she knew someone was always watching.

The current safe house he brought them to and it wasn’t even completed. He may have fibbed to her when she worked on this and it was for a just cause. At the time he knew she was miserable and MacTavish was miserable. It didn’t take much to figure it out and he had done it the moment he laid eyes on her again. He had no regrets in his part in things and they worked on this place as much as they could but there were others that he had that would work as needed.

Thirty minutes were up and gone and Nikolai had the rotors moving as Price and MacTavish came out. From the details Price had provided, the Little Bird would be the best way to get in and out. Nikolai checked his instruments as they boarded and they were in the air. His men had their instructions and they would do what they had to do. He focused on the flying and the fact that he had managed to get a signal. Whether or not it was their friend was another story but… He looked backwards at his passengers and then continued onward to where the infil point was determined. They had to get this done. Price and MacTavish knew that too.

****

_I’ll wait for you at the exfil point. Three hours._

Price kept his body flush to the ground while Nikolai’s chopper made its way back into the air. A sandstorm was coming and he needed to be clear of it. He glanced at MacTavish who was equally flush on the ground and looking around for any signs of Shadow Company, Shepherd’s personal drones. He replied, “Don’t bother. This was a one-way flight mate.”

_Then good luck my friend._

Price listened to Nikolai’s Russian and hummed to himself. He had the strangest thought that if Nicolette were around she would be laughing. He understood Russian but it was like she was born and raised Russian even though she was a Yank. It was ridiculous in that sort of funny way. He looked around, feeling the sand slide off of him, his boonie keeping his eyes shielded from the sun and the blowing sand. Turning he signaled MacTavish to follow.

MacTavish stood up and felt the sand that had covered him from the growing storm and the chopper’s rotor wash slide off. He adjusted the kiffiyeh so that it covered his head to shield his face from the worst of the blistering sand blowing. He found it at the safe house and commandeered it since no one seemed to claim it; it had actually belonged to a comrade who died fighting against Makarov. It seemed fitting and no one minded. Plus it reminded him of her since she rarely wore k-pot helmets. The kiffiyeh he gave her served that purpose.

They had landed on the desert cliffs that marked where Site Hotel Bravo was. According to the specs, it was an underground facility meaning underground. And that meant underground would retain heat, especially from the equipment that they would be using. MacTavish adjusted the rifle to snipe in his grip as he followed Price.

_Soap, I’m picking up a thermal spike up ahead. The cave must be somewhere over the edge._

“Copy, Price.”

They hiked it towards where a road would be, probably a service road. With the storm coming up, it was making it difficult to see but MacTavish kept his eye on Price. The man’s gait when on the move was distinguishable. He halted when Price pointed out an enemy patrol. MacTavish peered through his scope and noted that there was a dog there. Shite!

It seemed that no matter what, there always had to be dogs… and he really didn’t like them. Maybe an exception was made for Ari since that mutt seemed to gravitate towards him on purpose. He muttered, “Looks like Makarov’s intel is solid, Price. This is it.”

MacTavish didn’t expect a reply as he got into position. It seemed that sneaking in wasn’t going to be an option. He had the distinct feeling though that if Nicolette were there, that she would tell them that there was a way to sneak in. She was the spy after all and he grudgingly admitted that she was the best at sneaking up on people and she said he was a noisy clod.

_Good they’re splitting up. Let ‘em separate._

It certainly reduced the odds against them as MacTavish lined up his shots and prepared to take them out on Price’s say so. “The decryption code better be worth the price we paid for, old man,” he murmured.

_It’ll work._

MacTavish watched as the patrol began to separate. He could make out two bloody dogs. One was leaving and the other was staying. It still didn’t make him feel better about the whole thing.

_Focus on the group directly beneath them. Take them out first. I’ll take the two on my left. On my mark._

It was easy. Even with the storm coming it, it was an easy shot. MacTavish checked through his sights to make sure they were down. He received a confirmation from Price that five tangoes were down and that included the bloody dog. It prompted them to move and catch the other half of the patrol to neutralize. They needed to take them out before they came back and found that they were being infiltrated.

It was easy dispatch but they still had to move before the bodies were discovered. MacTavish hooked up his line to the railing to rappel down. He made sure it was securely fastened through the ease of practice and training. He climbed up and followed Price’s lead.

_Oh goodie. The Mission Impossible pit run._

MacTavish felt his lip twitch in the faintest hint of a grin as he applied the right amount of pressure on the brake as he made his descent. _And you always did like to show off on that run Nico._

_Got two tangoes below._

MacTavish pulled out his knife and slowly descended from above. It was like a spider moving in to pounce on the unsuspecting prey. On Price’s cue, he dropped on top of his man and had the knife in the chest with his other hand over his mouth. He held on until the man stopped breathing and wriggling and dropped him. He glanced over at Price as they removed the lines from their belts.

_Let’s move._

Wiping the sweat and creating a dirt smear on his forehead, MacTavish pulled up the rifle he was going to use and followed the man in. They plowed through the tunnel lit only but the overhead lamps. MacTavish kept his eyes ahead but occasionally spared a glance backwards to make sure no one was following or spotted them. This may be a one-way trip but that was no reason to be stupid about it.

_Tango up ahead. Do not engage._

That was obvious. The patrol was a necessity. This wasn’t. MacTavish followed Price and they hid in the shadows to observe. MacTavish turned to scan their flank. While it was a tunnel, there was the possibility that someone could be coming that way and they would need to take care of it.

_Patrol coming our way. Go left—quickly!_

MacTavish spotted the patrol and ran towards the left where they could remain unseen by the patrol. He heard Price mutter to let them pass. Part of this job was learning to be patient. You could have all the training in the world but patience was something you needed a big supply in. People could be predicted to do certain things and then there are things that were not as predictable. He peered around Price to get a better look at things.

_Butcher Seven, Oxide. We’ve lost contact with Disciple Five._

That could mean that they were onto them if they sent someone to investigate. It had to be the patrol they took care of. MacTavish slowly blinked to let the sweat that was building up fall away from his eyes. They may be underground and there was some science thing about it being cooler underground. Right now though he was feeling the heat and he was certain Price was too but neither man was moving so as not to give away their position. Not with a patrol that close.

_Probably just the sandstorm that’s rollin’ in. Probably a bad transmitter._

_Send a team to check it out, over._

_Roger that Oxide. I’ll send Vinson and Lambert. Butcher Seven out._

_Take out the guard having a smoke or wait for him to move along._

MacTavish moved into position to get the guard into his sights. He could have let him go. He decided not to and took the shot. The man was down and they were moving on. It was almost blow when they chanced upon a large group. Luckily they were in the shadows and following Price’s lead, they were through.

_Two tangos in the corridor. Keep moving and stay to the left._

Out of sight and out of the line of fire. They made their way forward avoiding another patrol. They only paused when the two man patrol stopped.

_Kilo 1-1 is missing. Command wants us to check it out._

_Isn’t that near the hangar bay?_

_Yes now get your shit together._

MacTavish thought about it and brushed it off. It was probably some idiot who took a leak and forgot the time. It happened on occasion. He focused on the mission ahead and followed Price.

_Soap, we’ve got two tangos with taclights coming down the stairs under that red light, dead ahead. I’ll take the one on the right. On my mark._

MacTavish aimed for the tango on the left and waited. Price fired first and MacTavish fired next. Both went down like they didn’t see the shot coming. That was the way it was done. MacTavish checked around before moving forward, following Price.

_Disciple Six, we’ve lost all contact with Disciple Five. Check it out, over._

_Roger that Oxide. We’re on the catwalk, heading to the steam room. Standby._

_We’ve lost contact with Kilo 1-1._

_This is Kilo 1-1. Bad transmitter. Everything is good._

MacTavish frowned a bit as he recognized the voice of Chief over the coms. He knew that the pilot had been recruited by Shepherd and he wasn’t a bad guy so to speak. He just didn’t know if the man was one that would follow orders without question. It would be hard if he had to fire upon that pilot just to get to Shepherd. Then there was the kid.

Duke hadn’t reported in. The assumption was that he was dead but MacTavish remembered that he was recruited to Shadow Company too. Was it a coincidence? Were those two sent in to spy on his Nico? They would have needed to gain her confidence and then it was a matter of time before she let her guard down. That was a very real possibility and… it really struck a nerve at the betrayal if that was the case.

MacTavish checked the corners while Price took out the tango at the top of the stairs. It was silent and clean even though it was a knifing. It allowed them to gain access to the steam room and it was what it was named to be. It felt like the temperature rose another ten degrees but that was because of the moisture in the air. The steam was thick and you could hide in it. Thermal sensors would be useless since it was hot in there.

_Disciple Six, go dark, breach and clear._

_Here we go. Get ready._

_Door charge planted. Ready to breach. Hit it._

MacTavish had perched himself in a position to receive cover from the breach and checked his ammo. He moved into position while he heard the enemy giving orders to sweep the area. He heard Price tell him to go weapons hot and it was instant reaction to swing his rifle around the corner and fire at the nearly surprised group.

It was going to come down to this; the shootout and fighting their way through to Shepherd eventually. They just needed to be in a good position to have an advantage. MacTavish took aim and fired.

_They’re here! Open fire!_

The volley exchange of gunfire in the tunnels was excruciatingly loud but MacTavish pushed forward with Price. They could see the laser sights from the Shadow Company soldiers as they moved into carry out their orders of taking them out. MacTavish blinked when a piece of rock hit him in the face from a ricochet and fired at the man who shot at him.

They cleared out the steam room and pushed forward. Wiping his forehead and smearing dirt in the process, MacTavish inched forward. Price was up ahead scouting and clearing the way.

_Disciple Nine, your rearguard just flatlined._

_No shite it flatlined_ , MacTavish thought to himself. He looked and thought he noticed a flicker of something like a security camera. That was an impossibility.

_Not possible. We just cleared that area. Nobody’s…_

_It’s Price. I’m sending reinforcements._

Both men paused slightly. Their main target was here. If anything that was a confirmation. Both looked ahead towards the rock ridge and started forward. They would get that bastard and kill him. He would pay for what he had done. They would be ready for whoever was coming and they would take them out like they did the others.

“Grab a riot shield. We’ll need cover out here,” Price said as he handed a shield to MacTavish and took one for himself. With a nod he led the way.


	24. Chapter 24

_Butcher One-Five, rendezvous at the nest and prepare to escort Gold Eagle to the LZ._

_Gold Eagle must be Shepherd! We’re running out of time, let’s go!_

Nicolette narrowed her eyes as she pulled out her computer pad. She knew that voice from anywhere. She swiped through the images and listened to the radio chatter and found them. They were both alive! There on the screen as plain as day were Price and MacTavish and they were shooting their way through the tunnels.

“Ryan.”

Nicolette looked at Chief. He was at her mercy since she had stripped him of the guns the pilots were issued. If she was to become a mindless drone, she should kill him on the spot. She kept her weapon up and asked, “Are you with them? Were you sent to find out about me?”

Chief looked at her and her narrowed eyes. She was serious and had every right to be. If the chaos in the tunnels was a result of the rumors of the last people on earth that would be traitors and she was lumped in with them... he knew that she wasn’t a traitor. He knew she was dedicated to the job by the way she handled things in Afghan and she saved his ass. He replied, “I may be in the unit Ryan but I know you. I know what they say isn’t true about you and the 141.”

Nicolette held her pistol on Chief and looked at the man. She knew that he wasn’t with them but she had to ask. As she assumed Price would say, you had to trust someone to be betrayed and while she never trusted Shepherd, the boots on the ground she had met like the Kid and Chief… She had to be sure. “How do you know, Chief?”

“Because I know you guys and I fought and bled beside you. _You_ fucking saved my ass in Afghan.”

“People talk but it don’t mean nothing.”

“Actions speak louder than words.”

It was almost a quiet standoff between the pilot and Nicolette. She studied Chief for a moment before lowering her weapon. She looked at the sensors and listened to the radio chatter. Chief felt relief that she wasn’t going to shoot him. He remembered when the 141 was practicing at the range in Afghan. They were all good but the CO MacTavish, Roach, and Ghost were the best; they outdid the regular snipers. She on the other hand, she was good but Chief suspected her best talents were up close and personal. He looked at her and asked, “So what are you going to do? I have to get this bird in the air to meet Gold Eagle.”

“You mean that bastard Shepherd.”

“Whatever you say. I’m not arguing since you have the gun.” Chief waved his hands to indicate that he wasn’t going to argue and he was through. “But…”

Nicolette knew that Chief needed to be in the air soon. If there was a delay, something would need to be explained and it was going to put her in direct proximity for Shepherd. What she had in mind though… She looked at Chief who was sitting and looking at her. She put her gun back in the holster and said, “Sorry, Chief. It is a bit hard.”

“I don’t blame you.” Chief shook his head. “I don’t believe a word.”

“Yeah but there are a lot of your unit out there who are ordered to shoot me on sight if they knew and they are shooting at Soap and Price.” Nicolette looked outside the window and then at the control panels. She had an idea and she was certain she could do it. She stared at it.

“I heard and I hope the Kid doesn’t think about it.”

“He won’t. He was supposed to have killed me.” Nicolette looked at Chief and gave a slight grin and a shrug.

“You do have a way with people. You sure you’re with military intelligence?”

“You’d be surprised.” Nicolette checked her gear and then looked at the pilot. “Chief, I’m gonna need to borrow your chopper.”

Chief looked at her and said more as a statement than a question, “You’re going after Shepherd.”

“Like a spider and her web,” Nicolette replied with a serious expression on her face. “I know you have to make the rendezvous but… I can’t ask you to go with on this one.”

“My chopper.”

“And my plan which could end up with you as collateral damage. You and I both know that Shepherd doesn’t give a fuck about danger close. You know what I mean?”

Chief narrowed his eyes at her. It then dawned on him that what she had in mind… “No way.”

“Chief…”

“Hey, I’m not about to let a good soldier get themselves killed in a… whatever you want to call it.” Chief folded his arms over his chest in an act of defiance.

“Well I could make it an order.”

“Like that would fly since I outrank you Lieutenant.”

Nicolette stared at Chief. She knew that he wasn’t trying to be a pain in the ass. Rather he was looking out for a fellow soldier and one he considered saved his ass. The whole thing in Afghan she considered just doing her duty. She technically didn’t have to since she was on her own mission as a spy and could have left any time but she wasn’t like that. True she could be ruthless when she needed to be but it wasn’t her. If only the pilot looking up at her knew exactly what she was…

She gave a slow grin and replied, “Oh really? You really want to put that to the test?” She bent over and got low into Chief’s face.

Chief was going to be a stubborn ass until the end with this. Yet he didn’t like what was being implied in her tone. His wife got a similar one when she was determined to make him look like an ass and he usually was. This though felt different. Still he could stand his ground. “You don’t need to be stupid.”

“Then I guess I have no choice then.”

~0~0~

“You really are a piece of work.”

Nicolette looked at Chief as he struggled to get out of the ropes she had tied him with. She gave a slightly smug grin as she adjusted the coveralls over her clothes. It was a flight suit that was a size too big since it was made for Chief’s size but with her clothes underneath, it filled it out pretty well. She replied, “Well Soap said the same thing when I kicked his ass in training last week. So nothing new there.” She looked at Chief and her expression sobered. She kneeled and added, “Chief, I can’t ask you to go with on this one. I would rather you get the kid and get out. I get the feeling that things are going to get really ugly.” She gave a knowing look.

Chief struggled a bit but then looked up at Nicolette. His expression became one of defeat and he heaved a sigh. “Dammit Ryan.”

“Knew you’d see things my way.”

“Shut the fuck up and untie me.”

Had it been normal circumstances, she would have left him there. As it were, there was little time. She took out her knife and cut the ropes. “I need you to find the kid. Radio him and tell him to evac or make it sound like you have a bogey or something.”

“I know the fucking drill,” Chief replied a little put out that he was having to wear a borrowed flight suit since she had his. “Look just… don’t do anything stupid.”

“I know how to fly. I had a couple of good teachers,” Nicolette replied with a grin on her face. She picked up Chief’s helmet and held it under her arm. She sobered and added, “This is for the best Chief. If things go south, you won’t be implicated. I always look after my friends.”

“Yeah and what about friends looking after you?” Chief groused as he stood up and shook the last of the ropes off. “You don’t always have to be alone.”

Nicolette gave a slight sigh, “If only you knew what I knew, Chief and it’s a good thing you don’t. It’ll be okay. I remember the drill with this plane.”

_S64 Gold Eagle is on the move. You need move now in order to intercept without suspicion._

“Time’s a wasting,” Nicolette said after hearing Addy’s transmission.

Chief sighed. There was no convincing her otherwise. He nodded, “Alright… but promise me that you won’t do anything stupid.”

“It’s kind of my gig but… I will think about what I do.” Nicolette gave a smile and held out a hand. “Thanks Chief. You are a good soldier.”

“Same to you,” Chief replied returning the gesture. “Go. Now.”

Nicolette nodded and turned to get back into the plane. The systems were warmed up and all she had to do was to get it in the air and at the rendezvous. She put on the helmet and started the systems. Looking out the window she could see Chief. She gave a hand signal and began lifting off into the air. She called into the radio, trying to make it sound as gruff as possible, “This is Eagle 6-4 lifting off and proceeding to LZ.”

_Roger that 6-4. Gold Eagle is on the move. It’s going to get wet._

_Tell me about it_ , Nicolette thought to herself as she gave the confirmation that she was listening. She looked around at the Afghan landscape and gave a last glance. MacTavish was alive… at least that was what was indicated and she had the visual proof from her wire feeds she had hacked into. “Addy, do you have sitrep?”

_Approaching rendezvous. Your pitch is a little off._

“Fucking perfectionist,” Nicolette muttered as she made the correction. She was actually flying pretty well granted that the plane was different from a helicopter and it was much larger than the Little Bird she preferred. Still it was as Nikolai had taught her about flying and he said she was a natural but only because she could fly on the ground.

It was a silly old joke that she humored the Russian with. She liked Nikolai and even though they had been brought together by a situation, they became pretty good friends. He never hesitated to give her advice on things and she returned the favor. Apart from Price, MacTavish and the 141, she trusted him with her life. He was Russian and he was loyal. Whether or not it was to a fault that was a point that remained to be seen if it existed but she knew that he was the first person Price would turn to in a sticky spot.

_You know the single pilot routine will be suspicious._

“You really think Shepherd would think to look up here?”

_What do you think?_

Nicolette felt her lip twitch in a smirk. The AI really knew her and well they had similar personalities. She wondered if Jensen had coded it that way just to make a point. She looked and saw the river. All she had to do was follow it and then pick up the target and they would have a little chat about a little friend of theirs called the Black Fox.

****

_All units be advised this is Gold Eagle. The site has been compromised. I am executing directive one-one-six bravo. If you’re still inside, your service will be honored. Shepherd out._

It was a race to override the control doors even with the help of someone initially thought to be an enemy. MacTavish pressed the keys to try and override the doors. The place was going to blow. Mentally he cursed the fact that Nicolette was faster at that kind of thing and could almost hear her teasing him that he was being slow or that she had seen him type in code faster when they were in Russia. It was a good motivator.

The beep sounded and the doors opened. The next thing MacTavish knew was that he was being shoved by Price to get a move on it. He didn’t need to be told twice since he felt the rumbling in the ground under his feet. He picked up the pace to get out of that hole before he and Price were buried alive.

They made it to the exit when the explosions started. It was hard enough to throw both of them off balance. Price slipped a little bit in front of him as rubble started to fall. Then something hit MacTavish on the back of his shoulders and part of his head and he stumbled about, stunned. Then something pushed him out of the way of an explosion but the blast pushed him forward and knocked him out. All that went through his mind was that he was getting the short end of the stick like when he was an FNG.

_Broke your bum again?_

_How is he?_

_Just a bump to the head._

_Excalibur- this is Gold Eagle. Fire mission- target package Romeo- danger close._

MacTavish forced his eyes to open even though the desire not to was weighing heavily on his mind. He found that he had fallen on his side… at least that was what he thought had happened. His vision was blurry as he regained consciousness and was aware that there was a hand on his shoulder and was giving him a hard shake to it. He blinked again since it felt like he was underwater and everything sounded muffled even though he heard what was last said over the com chatter that Price had tapped into.

_That’s within a hundred meters of your position sir!_

MacTavish saw Price directly in front of him firing away and it looked like he was joined by someone else but he couldn’t tell at the moment. He did recognize Price since the boonie was unmistakable. The hat was like the old man’s signature and he could recall when Nicolette wore one since it was better than wearing a k-pot at times.

_That’s not a suggestion. Send it!_

_Roger, fire mission danger close!_

MacTavish closed his eyes trying not to let the headache take him under. He couldn’t leave Price to fend for himself. Forcing his eyes to open, he reached forward and grabbed his rifle where it had fallen and slowly got to his hands and knees. He shook his head, trying to shake off the disorientation. The rubble and explosion had given him a good one and it would have been a lot worse but he still had the adrenaline running through his system and he forced his feet to get him up.

“Soap! Incoming! Get down!”

“Get down!”

MacTavish was barely on his feet when two figures came running towards him and diving for cover. His had heard the call for a fire mission and it was danger close. He knew what that meant and groggily made his way to where Price and the other bloke had headed. It had him confused as to why there was another guy there since it was only him and Price on this one way trip. The ridiculous thought that Nicolette was playing a rather mean trick on him crossed his mind and he shook it off as impossible. But he would admit that it sounded like her.

The missiles came in and hit their targets. MacTavish lowered his head to gain some cover for his eyes and the debris that was starting to fly. He took the time to shake the remaining grogginess from his head. He thought he heard someone asking him something but the roar of the explosions was too much and he couldn’t hear anything. The best he could do was wait out the explosions while they took out the area.

“Since when does Shepherd care about danger close?”

“Not fucking ever.”

MacTavish blinked as he recognized the voice of the one who responded to Price’s rhetorical query. Almost everyone knew that Shepherd didn’t give a shit about danger close and there were some rumors that the man liked to court death and he did it by going in danger close. That wasn’t his problem at the moment. Right now the owner of that voice was.

“Are you okay, Captain?”

The last of the grogginess was gone and MacTavish reached out and grabbed the straps of the vest of the owner of the voice and with momentum, rammed him into the wall. “What the bloody hell did you do?” MacTavish growled as his features contorted in anger. “What did you do to her?”

Duke relaxed his body when it was apparent that MacTavish was going to slam him into the wall. It made it hurt less and more or less he knew he had it coming. He growled through gritted teeth saying, “I did nothing.”

MacTavish didn’t believe the kid even though he did like him. At this point anyone from Shadow Company was the enemy. That was pretty much who they were taking out in order to get to Shepherd. “Where is she? Did you kill her?”

“Soap!”

MacTavish ignored Price and continued to stare at Duke. He hadn’t released him, preferring to keep him pinned and in a good position to shoot him between the eyes if necessary. “Where is she?” He repeated it in a low tone that betrayed how he really felt about her.

Duke saw the look and replied, “I did nothing and I don’t know. We were separated.” He brought up his arms and shoved MacTavish back even though technically that was grounds for punishment since it could be interpreted as striking an officer… as if that mattered. He took a step forward and straightened out. “I was given orders to do what happened to the others but I didn’t,” he said indignant and with narrowed eyes. “We separated.”

It was the truth but not the whole truth. Duke never indicated she was alive and to be honest he didn’t know. All he knew was that the chaos was caused by Price, MacTavish and her. It was also true that he didn’t do the deed. The long and short of it was that Duke knew that he shouldn’t expect either of them to believe him. He had done as Shepherd had asked and gone to meet them and he took care of them… well made sure they didn’t get killed by the rigged explosions and now the airstrike.

MacTavish glared at the kid. He couldn’t tell if he was telling the truth or not and he didn’t even confirm that she was alive since he claimed that he didn’t kill her. He could have and decided to lie about it. He probably killed Roach and Ghost. “You were supposed to protect her.”

“Did a better job than you.”

It would have been a fistfight but Price intervened. Now was not the time for it and he made it clear, “Enough! Soap, we’ve got a job to do.”

MacTavish would have liked to have given into impulse and give a final punch. Instead he asked, “And what about him? He’s Shadow Company.” He gestured towards Duke who merely stood there as if he were well aware that his fate was in their hands.

Price looked at Duke. The kid had come and pretty much saved MacTavish’s arse from being crushed by debris when Shepherd blew the place. He fired on his own people to cover. It was a small action but he could see MacTavish’s concern. He hadn’t forgotten the kid had been assigned to Nicolette as a guard and it made sense why his former FNG was willing to put a bullet through his head right now. At the moment though, they had to get to Shepherd.

With a glance at the destruction the firestorm brought, Price made his decision, “The muppet comes with… for now.”

MacTavish would have said something but didn’t. He glared at Duke, not wanting to expose his back to the kid but he would bear with it. Besides Price said it was for now. He had learned the meaning of the tone that it was said in so… He motioned with his gun at the kid and followed Price.

Duke sighed a bit in relief that he wasn’t going to get the business end of a rifle now. Of course that did leave things open for them to shoot him later. So he wouldn’t give them a reason to shoot him. He followed behind MacTavish and took out any of the Shadow Company men that were still alive after that shaking his head at the fact that Shepherd really loved to risk the lives of his men. Allen was one such.

He figured Allen’s death was no accident in terms of the cover being blown. A lot of this shit that had happened was manipulated at the highest levels. It sounded unbelievable but it really did happen. The best he could do was to help them out and get them to the underground river where Shepherd would be heading. The shoulder injury would slow the man down a bit.

They made their way through the area trying to avoid the fires that were burning on the crates. MacTavish took a chance of being exposed when a chopper came into sight and started firing at them. He grabbed one of the RPGs that miraculously hadn’t been damaged by the strikes and took aim and fired. The first shot missed since the chopper avoided it and he had to take cover when they were fired upon. He was surprised that the kid was drawing fire to allow him to get a shot in.

The second shot proved to hit on target and MacTavish got the tail rotor. He could have hit it directly but the angle was not a very favorable one even though he had shot with less than that. He dropped the RPG as soon as the chopper was down and picked up his rifle to lay down fire. There were still some of Shepherd’s men that emerged from another tunnel that probably led to the river. They had the advantage but…

“Sonofabitch!”

MacTavish turned to see Duke hiding behind some crates that were pretty weak cover. He saw a stain of red on his left upper arm and surmised that he had taken a hit. The kid kept cover and came out only to fire on who was shooting at them. He still didn’t trust the kid but he was showing that he wasn’t out to kill them… yet. A ricochet caught his attention and saw one target firing from the chopper wreckage. He took aim and fired.

Soon the way was clear enough for the three of them to push forward. They managed to make it to another hole and for a moment they were bogged down but they managed to clear them out. Duke checked around and looked down the hole and then at Price and MacTavish. With his bad arm, he gestured towards it and said, “That way is to the river. Shepherd would go there to catch the rendezvous.”

Price nodded and gestured, “Let’s go.”

MacTavish started to follow but hesitated when Duke didn’t move. He narrowed his eyes and grunted, “Kid.”

“Go. I got one more thing to do,” Duke said as he motioned for MacTavish to go. When the man didn’t move he added, “It’s a little insurance to clear some names. It’s back in the base but I know a few things. Good luck, Captain.” He then turned to head back into base.

“Good luck kid.”


	25. Chapter 25

David walked through the corridor to his patients’ room. Things were still touch and go and he had yet to hear from people. This was the thing he truly disliked about the job and that was the waiting. The funny thing was that he was a scientist and he had to exert patience when he used to work with his biologicals. Then it transferred over to Mossad and now here.

He glanced around the corridor of the place that he had secured. There were nurses and doctors as well as a few Mossad agents. Things were looking all right so far. He then heard a beep and he looked at his watch and touched the bud in his ear. At the same time the loudspeakers kicked in and he looked around with a frown and listened.

_History is written by the victor. History is filled with liars. If he lives and we die, his truth becomes written and ours is lost._

Misha was talking to his friend as they headed back into Russia but not before they would separate. One would be going to India and the other back to the lion’s den so to speak. They were joking about the trip when their radio crackled. Misha pulled out his radio and adjusted it. They caught the transmission and they both turned to listen.

_Shepherd will be a hero. Cause all you need to change the world is one good lie and a river of blood._

Section was on his flight back to base and JSOC. He hadn’t liked how this went down and he had a hard time believing that one of their own would turn on their unit and make them scapegoats. He had wanted to stay and help out but he only had a small window to get what he needed and then meet up with Harper. They had their own terrorist to track down.

The meeting went as well as it could. Mostly it was stories about when his father was in Afghanistan. She did warn him but it helped a little and he thought she needed context too. She wouldn’t admit it to his face but he could tell that he had her interest in where she learned the things she knew… what he also knew too.

He heard his comm beep and he frowned thinking that it was too early to talk to Harper. When he put the earpiece in, he started getting audio. It wasn’t anyone he had heard before but he was compelled to listen. His eyes shifted, staring ahead as he listened and hung onto every word.

_He’s about to complete the greatest trick a liar ever played on history. His truth will be the truth._

The camp was quieter than usual. Santana was listening to the radio intently and he signaled his radio man to relay the transmission. He had a few friends around. He glanced at the others of his team who were also listening. It had come over the radio like an official transmission and they were surprised by what they were hearing but it certainly countered what they had heard. He decided it was time to play a little ‘phone tag’ with a few other units.

_But only if he lives and we die…_

Addy appeared on the screen in a room she was very familiar with. It was the same one she had been interred since over a year ago but technically she had free reign to go anywhere. Yet this was home and from here she could make a difference. Her handler may have a different view on things but the least she could do was help out in making sure the truth came to light.

She had done a few things from her post to be ready to stave off total disaster as she would define this situation. It was also a means to insure that they wouldn’t be completely alone. She paced around on the matrix she was in. To others it looked like a person was walking across the screen of a computer and her image would look like something from a computer game. She turned to study the data flow. She looked at the dots that tracked each of the members of the 141and cursed the fact that S64 initiated her lockdown protocols. There _were_ some things that an advanced AI couldn’t defy.

****

The tunnel hadn’t been affected by the blast and led straight to the river. MacTavish had to admit that the kid had been right so far. Price yelled out, “They’re just around the corner!”

MacTavish checked his gun and followed Price. As they rounded the corner, he saw the boat with Shepherd in it take off from the dock. He raised his rifle to see if he had a shot. His lip curled in frustration when he didn’t.

“Get in the boat, Soap!”

MacTavish lowered his rifle and ran to join Price in the boat. The line was already free. All he had to do was get the engine going and they were off. He jumped in to take position with the engine while Price jumped in the front and gunned the engine. There was only one goal in mind and that was to get to Shepherd.

He was not familiar with the layout of the river so MacTavish eased a bit off the throttle but not too much so that they fell behind. He needed to keep up with the speed of the other boat so they didn’t lose him and they were being fired upon by the remaining drones of Shepherd’s men. At the first sign of shooting. MacTavish pulled up his weapon and fired.

“Focus on driving the boat. I’ll keep them suppressed.”

MacTavish lowered his weapon and put more on the throttle. They had dropped back a few meters and almost lost them. Perhaps it was a better idea that he focus on the driving. He needed to keep an eye out on the obstacles that were dangerous for watercraft of any kind. It just didn’t help when it included bullets flying at you. MacTavish just had to trust that Price would do the best he could with suppression fire.

It was an underground maze as MacTavish guided the boat through the river. The spray almost seemed to cloud the tunnels as they plowed their way through. He had a near collision with the rock walls of the cavern when he had to veer off to avoid colliding with it when a blind corner revealed more of Shepherd’s men firing on them.

“We’re losing him!”

MacTavish adjusted and went full throttle. He was just going to have to do the best that he could do. They couldn’t let Shepherd escape. It was a dangerous thing to do since the river was narrow but if they went full speed and skidded on the ground, they would be okay. The water sprayed on both sides from the shots that missed them. They were going pretty fast that the enemy was having a hard time trying to lead the target.

The narrow tunnels before finally coming out into the main river bought some relief but MacTavish felt that any little movement would send them crashing. He could almost scrape his face off if he made a wrong turn. Once they were out in the open, he was able to get them going without fear of a narrow corridor. There was a downside to that though.

“Stay clear of those open areas!”

MacTavish saw the helicopter coming at them. That was just bloody brilliant. Movement on the water caught his attention. And it was more good news. They were going to get attacked both in the air and on the water. It really just made this plan all the worthwhile.

The sarcasm that filled his mind was a means of keeping his cool but also pushing away his worry about his Nico. He had no way of knowing if she was dead or alive and he wasn’t in the mood to press the kid for details. Hell he wanted to shoot him and that was because he was with Shadow Company. It was that whole damnation by association crap she once talked about when she was watching the news and taking notes.

_Nico sometimes the things you say just don’t fit and yet… eventually they do. Makes me wonder what you see in things._

MacTavish steered the boat towards the rocks. It was still open to maneuver but the walls were high enough to provide cover from the aerial assault. It would leave Price to focus on the water assault. The downside was that it wasn’t going to last. MacTavish forced his vision to look distances ahead, if that were possible, and steer towards the areas that would give them the best advantage. He couldn’t go too far off otherwise that would put them further behind; the distance between them and Shepherd would lengthen and that would spell disaster if they lost him.

The boat was shoved to the left roughly and MacTavish looked up. Another boat had rammed theirs and there was someone turning to fire. It was automatic for MacTavish to pull his gun and fire. Price was right under the guy and could have taken him out but MacTavish got to him first and automatically moved to take out the other one that was starting to point a gun on him while Price took out the driver.

The loss of the driver sent the boat careening out of control and it hit another that was trying to finish what it started. Both collided and bodies flew into the water like rocks skipping off a pond. It was a fairly accurate description considering the speeds they were going. Unfortunately that cost them some distance they had gained and MacTavish growled as Price shouted at him to gun the engine. He was more agitated that they had to really make things work in order to gain what they had lost.

“Gun it Soap! He’s getting away!”

MacTavish gave a deft twist and the boat sped forward. He swerved when he noticed some men with RPGs on a bridge. That just added to the fun… as Nicolette would say. He felt the need to actually hear some sort of remark she would make and while possibly grossly inappropriate, it general improved the mood of the team. It channeled their focus. Though in the beginning he though she was just being a pain in the ass because she knew it annoyed him.

A couple of more helicopters came in and MacTavish headed towards the rocky islands to make it difficult, cursing that it was affecting their gains on Shepherd. Price was doing what he could by taking out the drivers of the boats that came after them and the RPGs that were on the bridge. He occasionally shouted the presence of the ones that got fired off so MacTavish would have time to swerve out of the way. The last one put them in the line of fire of an oncoming chopper.

“Chopper inbound,” Price shouted.

MacTavish swore quietly for a loud situation. He was right in their sights and they had a fix on him and Price. The best thing to do was to try and swerve and hope for the best. He turned to head for cover just at it started firing on them. He blinked when the shots went wild and narrowly missing them. He spared a look along with Price and noticed that there was a second helicopter but it was firing at the one firing on them.

The helicopter was low enough to see who was in the pilot’s seat and MacTavish was surprised and relieved to see Chief at the stick. Price looked at the chopper and commented, “Bugger me.”

_All units be advised that Eagle 1 has been compromised…_

That meant that Chief was a target. There was nothing that MacTavish or Price could do about it at the moment. They had to get to Shepherd. It was a sore spot since Chief was risking everything to make sure that they weren’t completely blown out of the water. He covered them as much as he could before they disappeared into a canyon made by the river. MacTavish silently wished Chief luck in getting out of there alive and focused on steering the boat.

They passed by villages that dotted the shores. More likely they were conscripted into helping Shepherd. MacTavish didn’t give it much thought as Price shouted, “Rapids up ahead! It’s going to get rough! Hang on!”

MacTavish adjusted his grip and prepared to ease up on the throttle just a little and to secure his body so he wouldn’t fly out. It was a good thing too since one of the boats that had been following them flew overhead. Price and MacTavish watched as men flew out and landed in the water. MacTavish kept his focus on the rapids since they managed to pick up some distance. They were close.

_Avatar One, gimme a sitrep over!_

_I have Warhorse 5-1 standing by. Pave Low’s downriver sir._

_Fuck!_ MacTavish looked to try and get more out of the boat’s engine. They weren’t going to lose the bastard. He coaxed the engine to give more but Shepherd was a good 60 meters ahead of them. Dammit!

_Copy that! Warhorse 5-1, be advised we’re coming in hot!_

_Coming in hot is right_ , MacTavish and Price thought to themselves.

_Roger. Dropping the hatch. Keep it above 30 knots and watch the vertical clearance._

MacTavish paused when he heard the call over the radio. He saw Price stiffen slightly as well. The voice sounded awfully familiar but it was difficult to tell since it sounded gruff. MacTavish didn’t ease up though and they rounded the corner just as the Pave Low started to rise with Shepherd in it.

“Soap! Hold it steady!”

MacTavish looked to see Price readying himself for the shot to take out the chopper. There was more than one way to bring down a bird. Price was going to have to do it quick though since the Pave Low was turning around at the edge of the waterfall. It was going to try and take them out. MacTavish kept the boat as steady as he could.

Price aimed through his scope at the sweet spot that would take down the chopper. He needed to do it fast before it had a chance of firing at them and he had one shot. He repeated for MacTavish to keep the boat steady. It was like playing chicken when the aircraft was fully facing him and that was when he took his shot.

It hit true and it started to go down but by that time their boat was near the edge of the waterfall. Price gestured wildly, “Back up! Back up!”

MacTavish eased up on the throttle and reversed the engines. It was no use though as the current was stronger and dragging them closer to the edge. It left both men little choice but to grab on and pray that they would survive the drop. MacTavish grabbed rigging as Price did just as the boat went over the edge and plunged into the pool below.

It was dark but there was light coming from above. There was no sound but if there was, it was muffled. MacTavish flailed his limbs trying to go towards the light. Instinctively there was life at the light even though there was that whole going towards the light meaning death. In this case… there was life at the top. His limbs felt heavy as they moved towards the surface. He had to get air otherwise he would die. It had to be finished.

The air hit his nostrils forcing MacTavish to wake up. He began coughing as his lungs took in gulps of air. Water started spilling out to the point he was almost choking. He rolled over onto his stomach and coughed more water out. MacTavish took deep breaths as he coughed the last of the water out and blinked slowly to clear his vision. He tipped forward and rested his head on the ground as he took deep breaths. The air felt welcome and his other senses started to come back to him.

The first thing was the smell of smoke and fire. The downed chopper! His vision was a bit blurry but MacTavish forced himself to his feet and took inventory. The only thing that he had aside from what was on his vest was his knife, which he pulled out and held in a ready position in front of him and blinked as he took a few steps forward. He was forced to raise his arm up since the sandstorm was coming in.

It eerily quiet as he slowly walked towards the downed chopper, taking stock of his surroundings and listening for any signs of survivors. He heard slight groaning and a dragging sound and looked up. One of Shepherd’s men was dragging himself away from the wreck. Without a second thought, MacTavish pounced on the downed soldier and knifed him. After all, the grunt would have done the same thing from his position. Better to get him first before he got you.

He continued on towards the wreck of the chopper. The smell of burning fuel and burning flesh hit his nose. It was strong and he remembered back to when he led the rescue for her, Ghost, Roach and the other two. His body quivered slightly thinking of the betrayal when his thoughts lighted on the kid. Emotionally he thought the kid a traitor but rationally, the kid said he didn’t kill her. MacTavish wanted to believe that. He truly did and Chief firmly gave his opinion by taking sides with him and Price so maybe hope wasn’t lost but…

_Sometimes Soap in order to draw out your true enemy, you have to make them think one thing while you do another. It sucks but… It’s all I can think of in order to draw out Makarov…_

When she came back he learned more about her ways as a spy than he probably would ever care to know had it been five years earlier. As a soldier he was well aware that there were things he had to do in order to make sure his home and country was able to sleep at night. Most people would never understand except those that had been through it or those who attempted to understand. It was why he had been willing to listen and try to see where she was coming through when she mentioned anything she did as a spy. They both were fighting for the same thing but just in a different manner. He hoped that he was still alive so he could tell her but if she wasn’t… It was hard to think of life without her and he had nearly lost her before he could tell her how he felt. He would try though but it would be the same. The best he could do was to finish this and take down Shepherd.

The wreck was fairly in one piece. There was the possibility of more survivors and certainly was the case when he came across another Shadow Company grunt who was going to die from his injuries. The bastard tried to pull his service pistol on him and fire but the click told MacTavish that it was empty. He wasted no words on killing him nearly stumbling from the overwhelming stench of burning fuel, metal and flesh.

The wind picked up a little and MacTavish looked around. The storm was coming in and it looked like it wasn’t going to show much mercy. Well as long as he got the job done. It wasn’t like Nikolai was going to come out in this storm. He would finish this and try to find Price and then figure out what to do then.

Straightening out, MacTavish edged along the wreck slowly. He had to check and make sure. He made a slight grunt that was lost on the wind from the stench and stepped over the wreckage making sure he had his footing. He rounded what appeared to be the back of the downed craft and he heard some noise. It was the sound of metal being shifted. His vision was blurry form the storm and the fact that he was still a bit lightheaded from his dunking but he recognized the outline of Shepherd. The bastards managed to survive that.

MacTavish quickened his pace to intercept as Shepherd stumbled out. He noticed a large spot of blood on Shepherd’s shoulder and the man was holding it and rubbing it. The man was injured and he was coming right towards him. MacTavish poised his knife for the kill and took a swipe but the bastard dodged it and took off running. MacTavish went in pursuit. As he ran, he thought he heard more movement from the wreck but ignored it as he followed his main objective.

For an injured man, Shepherd was pretty fast. Yet MacTavish managed to keep up and continue to keep the man in his sights even though he blowing sand was making that difficult. He could tell that with his injuries, Shepherd wasn’t going to get that far. Not with the storm coming on and with no means of transportation. He ignored the fact that he was screwed in the transportation department at the moment as he moved forward.

He found Shepherd leaning against a car taking a breather. MacTavish saw it as his chance and took it. He lunged forward with a blow intended for Shepherd’s heart. He would have liked to have prolonged it but making it quick was the better choice. He got more than what he bargained for.

Shepherd saw MacTavish swing at him with the knife and dodged it. He followed through by grabbing MacTavish and slamming him face first into the roof of the car. MacTavish was instantly dazed since Shepherd slammed him on the sweet spot of his head. He felt himself falling backwards, unable to do anything; his limbs felt like they were lead as he hit the ground hard.

_I warned ya Ghost. You run into that one every time._

_She was looking down at Ghost and the man looked like he had been given powerful drugs. The others were on the ground rubbing their heads._

_You were right Nico._

MacTavish was still in a daze when he saw Shepherd pull out a knife and it was aimed right at him. It was by pure instinct alone that he reacted and lifted his arms up and blocked. He felt the knife slice his forearm but it was superficial. He had to push Shepherd off and gain the upper hand. His first instincts were to go for the injured shoulder and he tried to shift his body to do that.

Shepherd seemed to sense his shift and countered by readjusting. When MacTavish refused to budge and continue blocking the descent of the knife, he took drastic measures. With his good hand, he punched MacTavish across the face and then drove his elbow in his gut. It forced MacTavish to loosen his grip slightly but it was enough. He raised the knife and drove it into the man’s abdomen.

MacTavish felt the knife pierce his abdomen and it felt like a burn as it drove its way in. His hand closed instinctively around the knife as if to protect the injury but he was also put in a daze. His brain was trying to compute that he had been stabbed and from the looks of things it was a wound meant to inflict a slow and agonizing death. All he could see was the face of Shepherd and his bloody shoulder and he wondered how the hell the bastard managed to get the upper hand. He closed his eyes as he writhed on the ground a bit.

MacTavish had no idea how long he blacked out. The initial shock and pain knocked him out but now that the adrenaline died a little bit, he was able to open his eyes. He found that he was still on the ground… probably where he had fallen. He could see the sand swirling around. Yep he was still in the sandpit of Afghan and in the middle of a sandstorm. He heard noise and his gaze shifted to see Shepherd staring down at him and he was loading what looked to be a .45 revolver.

“Five years ago, I lost 30,000 men in the blink of an eye. And the world just fucking watched.”

_Yeah and Nico figured it out before you all and you didn’t listen._

Shepherd looked at MacTavish. To MacTavish the man looked confused at the look he was giving. To be honest he didn’t know himself except that he was mentally retorting to what Shepherd said. It helped since he was feeling the pain from the knife embedded in his gut.

Shepherd finished loading his revolver. His lip twitched from the pain in his shoulder. He looked down at MacTavish. He liked the man and admired his dedication. It made him regret what he was going to do but sometimes you had to make sacrifices for the greater good. “Tomorrow there will be no shortage of volunteers, no shortage of patriots. The lieutenant made sure of that with her work and for that… she will be remembered.”

MacTavish narrowed his gaze at Shepherd. What was the bastard talking about? He managed to breathe out, “Ryan? What…”

“Sometimes you have to make something appear real in order for it to make a difference. The lieutenant was a hero and nothing will inspire the volunteers and patriots more than the wrongful death of a hero,” Shepherd explained. He looked down at MacTavish as he made sure the revolver was locked and loaded. He then pointed it at MacTavish with the goal of shooting him in the head. “I know you understand.”

MacTavish stared up at the barrel of the revolver. He knew that this was it. Even if he did manage to move and avoid the shot, there was still the knife in his gut and Shepherd could make his life a living hell with that. He knew he was going to die then and there and he could almost hear her scolding him saying he was a stupid Scottish bastard. _I’m sorry Nico. I love you._

He would not close his eyes. He would meet it head on. He looked up at Shepherd and watched as the finger curled around the trigger. He would take it like a man. He steadied his breathing even though it sounded ragged in his ears.

_BANG!_


	26. Chapter 26

_BANG!_

MacTavish blinked as he saw the unmistakable form of Price enter his line of sight. Price was still alive and MacTavish never felt so glad to see a familiar face. It looked like he wasn’t going to die that day. At least not at that moment. He could give it a few more licks.

His chance was to come when he saw Price kick the gun out of Shepherd’s hand. He followed it to where it landed. Pushing away the pain, MacTavish gathered his strength and started pulling himself towards the gun where it lay. He grunted as he dragged his body across the desert floor, trying to use his legs to help propel himself forward. The gun was like the flag in the capture the flag drills.

His goal was almost in his reach when he was startled by Price falling to the ground hard in front of him. He heard the older man groan and cough slightly. MacTavish’s eyes lighted on the gun. He had to help Price. He reached out in a final lunge to grab it when it was suddenly kicked away by a standard issue combat boot.

MacTavish felt his body being shoved onto his back and his eyes were rapidly forced to look upward. He saw Shepherd looking down at him. The man’s face was covered with welts and a few cuts. It looked like there was a split lip in the process and a couple cuts on the man’s cheeks where Price hit him. That was a moot point as he saw Shepherd’s boot come straight down towards his face.

MacTavish heard the crunch of bone. His nose was broken. At least that was what he thought her heard. His head was already pounding from the dunking and the blow that he got earlier from the roof of the car and not to mention the punches to his face. The kick left him dazed and he blinked, trying to stay conscious but he was fading fast. The last thing he saw was something small and fast leap over him and he heard Shepherd cry out in pain and surprise.

The blur was none other than Nicolette. Having taken control of Shepherd’s evac, she was prepared to make him meet the Black Fox and extract a painful revenge for what he did to her friends. It was stupid since she normally was more rational about things but she had enough. Her paranoia going into overdrive and her dislike of the uneasy feeling the man gave her sort of forced her hand into reacting the way she did. It was probably the most foolish thing she had ever done since she was a child and that was a long time ago but as she had pointed out to MacTavish and Ghost, she always took care of her own.

She picked up the general in his boat and lifted off. She pretended to obey orders in terms of turning around and firing on MacTavish and Price since she guessed correctly that the old man and her stubborn Scottish bastard would pursue the bastard. She didn’t and said that there was a change of plans in this game plan.

Shepherd was certainly surprised to see her. It was obvious that he thought she was dead and it occurred to him that Duke had misled him. She looked at the man and said, “Sir, I know you have been wanting to meet the Black Fox and I managed to make that happen.”

She knew that she got him since it was what he desired. Of course he was a slippery fellow and his men were ordered to do what it took. Besides at the time she had him in a chokehold with a service pistol pointed at his temple. That kept the goons off for the moment. She couldn’t let her guard down especially when Shepherd gave the order for them to back off and he asked if she knew who it was.

What happened next was the initiative taken and a fight for control of the aircraft began. She shot her pistol and killed most of his men and she had him cornered. Shepherd said, “Lieutenant, I know you understand the need to have a few sacrifices in order to make things happen.”

“Oh I understand that perfectly, General, but in this case I’m inclined to disagree.” She was prepared to shoot and she held her gun up. “You want to know who the Black Fox is?”

“If you give me a location, I will ensure that you will not be placed in the brig for insubordination. This will never make it onto your record. You are a hero Price.”

It was bullshit and Nicolette knew it. She laughed at that and replied, “You and I both know that is a lie. In any case. You want to meet the Fox? Hello General.”

Shepherd was shocked from the look on his face but he didn’t hold it for long. The Pave Low had been hit and they were going down. Nicolette reached over and grabbed a handhold and tried to make it to the cockpit to at least get the aircraft to go down upright. The Shadow Company goon who tried to take over was dead since she shot him and she reached for the stick. She grabbed it and tried to hold it steady as they went down and at the last second cut the power.

The smell of burning fuel caught her attention as she woke up. Nicolette found herself on the ground and she could feel the bruises that were surely going to show up along with the cut on her head. Once again she was going to walk away from the disaster as it seemed to be with her luck. She got to her feet and saw Shepherd trying to claw his way out. She pounced on him and hit him in his bad shoulder while saying, “That was a little gift from me. Just so you know I learned from the best there was.” It was probably pointless but it made her feel better.

Shepherd got the better of her and gave her a hard punch to the face. She was down for a moment and when she cleared her head, she realized she had to get out before she was burned alive. She pulled her keffiyeh up to cover her mouth. There was no need to breathe in more fumes. She started making her way to where the loading ramp would have been located. That seemed to be where Shepherd escaped.

She tripped and fell out of the craft and landed on the desert floor. She muttered to herself, “And I’m back to being the stumbling fool.”

She rolled to her stomach and pushed up to get to her feet. At this point she could see the sand swirling around and couldn’t see more than a few feet in front of her. If she picked the wrong direction then she was screwed. It was the sound of a gunshot that caught her attention and she turned in the direction it had come and started forward.

She quickened her pace and managed to come up on Shepherd standing over a body and it wasn’t moving. The other body on the ground looked like he was trying to get up. She recognized who it was by the boonie. That meant the other was… She turned to see the hard kick to the face. She saw red and charged forward.

She leapt forward and tackled Shepherd placing her weight squarely on the chest. It was a trick she had learned when she had learned at the farm. She was easily the smallest of the recruits and she had to learn how to compensate for her size. What she lacked in size and strength, she made up for it by using her momentum and body weight. At the same time she collided with Shepherd’s chest, she pounded her fist hard into the injured shoulder and drew a pain-laced cry.

Nicolette was on her feet and had her hands up in basic combat stance. She gave a narrow eyed smirk at Shepherd as she readied her hands. She blocked the first few punches by using her open palms to deliver stinging smacks. She gave a few counter punches to the man making sure to give another to the injured shoulder as well as to the face.

Nicolette had fought against different techniques before. Some were trained in martial arts and some were what were described as boxers or brawlers. She learned that people had different ways of fighting and she had to adapt but never to the point where it put her at a disadvantage and had her playing their game. It was good advice but it didn’t always work. Her speed though, even with a pounding headache was her greatest advantage and she had to use it sparingly with Shepherd.

She gave a spinning back kick and landed as she missed. She bounced on her feet until Shepherd came at her with a couple of punches. She blocked them but got a forearm and elbow to the gut. She backed away taking a breath and came at Shepherd and gave a hard kick that caught him in the side but he grabbed her leg leaving her hopping.

Using her body weight and gravity, she shifted and used her free leg to sweep Shepherd’s legs out from underneath him. They landed in a heap and the fall ended up winding her. It was enough to give Shepherd the advantage by straddling her and grabbing her neck with both hands intent on strangling her.

Nicolette tried to get free but the hands tightened around her neck. She couldn’t move her lower body and her hands were occupied in trying to lessen the pressure. She could feel her air constricting further and further. Then suddenly it was gone and she was gasping for air. She put her hand to her throat to ease the throbbing and pushed herself up on her elbow to see Price slamming his fists into Shepherd.

Nicolette coughed to get herself to breathe as Price fought with Shepherd. Her air felt so constricted that she was having a hard time breathing but she didn’t feel like her windpipe was crushed or anything like that. She just needed a breath of air. Of course any delay would mean that Price had the potential to be overwhelmed by Shepherd.

Slowly she got to her feet and stumbled slightly before charging over. It was probably the most childish thing she did but it did help in a pinch. Hell the last training she did with Ghost she had leapt onto the man’s back. She had him cursing because she had a tight grip and wouldn’t let go. It had the guys laughing because she looked like she was comfortable. Of course it didn’t help that she was teasing the man mercilessly and making him madder.

It worked for the moment since she pounded her fist on the bad shoulder. She couldn’t do it frequently since Shepherd was trying to shake her off and get to Price at the same time. It wasn’t going to last forever though as Shepherd gave a hard kick to Price in the stomach and sent him back. That gave the man ample time to grab Nicolette’s wrists. She hung on but she felt her back being rammed into something and it hurt like a bitch. She tried to redouble her efforts but Shepherd managed to grab her and toss her aside. Her head collided with something metallic and she became aware that she was against a junker of a car.

The blow had knocked her senseless and she felt her vision darken slightly. She rubbed her head trying to clear it since she hit it in a sweet spot. Every touch felt like it was burning. It was going to be sore and she prayed that she didn’t have a concussion. She shook her head clear and saw that Shepherd was on top of Price and beating him about the face. She gritted her teeth and growled as she started to crawl and try to get to her feet. It wasn’t a good idea since her head hurt and she started to fall. So she stuck with a crawl.

It felt like the last act of a desperate man or in this case woman as she made her way to the man. It was a surprise that he didn’t notice her since she was certain that she made a lot of noise. Still it might have been Providence or something since she was able to grab the back of the general’s uniform and pull him back. She used the motion to pull herself to her knees and pull him back. She had one more trick up her sleeve and it was in her combat boot.

The next thing she knew was Shepherd’s body falling on top of her and it was damn heavy. It took her a moment to realize that the man was dead. The most obvious was the dead weight that she felt and it was dead weight. She shifted slightly to relieve the pressure on her legs since she fell at an awkward angle and noticed the cause of the dead weight.

The knife looked huge from where she was looking but it was a standard issue combat knife. She blinked when she realized that it had been thrown into the man’s eye. She couldn’t help but mutter, “Looks like someone stuck it to you.”

Pushing the body off her she sat up and her gaze caught a trail of blood. It wasn’t from Price who had bruises and a split cheek maybe for his trouble but he was unconscious from his beating. Besides the trail went away and her gaze followed it to… She gasped and scrambled. Her words came out like a whisper, “Soap.”

MacTavish was on the ground lying where he had fallen. The bloody trail led to his hand and Nicolette looked him over not looking at the bruises or the broken nose. She found the source of the blood and put two and two together. “Stupid Scottish bastard,” she muttered.

“Seemed like a good idea at the time,” MacTavish’s voice weakly came through.

Before she could reply, Price’s voice rang out, “Soap? Soap!” It was raspy from his fight but full of concern. A look at MacTavish’s chest had him say, “Bloody Muppet.”

“It worked old man,” MacTavish muttered even though his eyes were closed.

Price looked at Nicolette who was busy pulling what she had from the vest she had kept on after ditching the flight suit. He started pulling bandages too. He was stunned that she was alive. He suspected it from the way the kid that was her babysitter spoke but he wasn’t quite sure. She was there though, pretty much alive and looking exhausted but she maintained a stoic appearance. She handed him the roll while she made to pull out a morphine injector pen.

MacTavish stunned them both when he grabbed Nicolette by the wrist. His eyes were opened but she was on his right and out of his line of sight unless he moved his head. It was like he knew she was there or something. Price had no way of knowing that his former FNG had done the same thing five years earlier.

Nicolette paused in what she was doing. MacTavish had grabbed her wrist, the one with the injector pen. At first she thought he was protesting but a look told her otherwise. She looked at Price and nodded for him to put the field dressing on. MacTavish wasn’t going to let go any time soon and as soon as it twitched, the grip tightened more out of desperation.

Price merely raised his brow but when he saw MacTavish tighten his grip the moment she moved, he realized that she was going to be occupied. He unclipped the belt to gain better access to the wound. It was nasty and MacTavish was going to need medical attention.

Nicolette stayed in her position remembering full well how this was going to play out. Luckily he had gripped her left so that wouldn’t be too awkward. She could tell that he was out of it and barely comprehending his surroundings but it was like he knew she was there and grabbed on. It was something. She looked up the moment she heard the familiar rotors of a Little Bird chopper.

Price heard them too just as he was finishing up. He turned and recognized it as Nikolai. He looked at MacTavish, regretting that he was going to put him through pain in manhandling him but they had to get out of there. He glanced at Nicolette who nodded she was ready even in her position. He looked at MacTavish and said, “It’ll hold for now. Come on.”

“Come on you Scottish bastard,” Nicolette muttered in encouragement.

Price hauled MacTavish up and threw his left over his shoulders and used his right to steady the injured man. He saw that Nicolette had managed to get up and through it all MacTavish hadn’t relinquish his grip. Her hand still clenched the pen and she didn’t even try to remove it with her other hand. He certainly had some questions but that would be for later. Right now his goal was the chopper and the familiar Russian that he was so happy to see though he wouldn’t admit it. He gruffly let out, “I thought I told you this was a one way trip.”

“Looks like it still is,” Nikolai replied, looking pleased though concerned. His friends were alive. “At least you found our little Nico.”

“I wasn’t lost,” Nicolette replied, “Just hard to find.”

Nikolai nodded at that. “They’ll be looking for us now.”

That was the truth. At that moment though, MacTavish began to sag. He hadn’t relinquished his grip on Nicolette and she ended up getting jerked off her feet. She would have fallen if it hadn’t been for Nikolai running and steadying her. She shot him a grateful look as Price said, “Nikolai, we gotta get Soap out of here.”

Nikolai nodded as he helped place MacTavish on Nicolette’s shoulder since he wasn’t letting go and he seemed to tighten it every time she moved. So she became a prop and Nikolai supported from behind. It was awkward but working. He looked at Nicolette who nodded and replied, “Da, we know a place.”

Nicolette felt like she had done a contortionist act getting into the chopper and having them place MacTavish in. She tucked her legs under her since MacTavish’s grip was not letting her have a whole lot of room to move. Her legs were going to fall asleep but that was a moot point as she adjusted her position and braced herself when the chopper took off. She looked around seeing nothing but sand blowing around when she felt her wrist being squeezed. She looked down and found MacTavish staring glassily up at her and he looked like he wasn’t sure of what he was seeing. “It’s okay Soap.”

“Not letting go,” MacTavish murmured as he closed his eyes. “No Russian nurses from hell.”

Nicolette felt her lip twitch. She remembered that and only he would tease her about it when he was the one hurt. She sighed knowing that now things were going to be tough. She didn’t even know if Langley would talk to her. How much did they know? Was she on her own or would Shadow Protocol be there? There were a lot of questions that would need to be addressed. At the moment though, her major concern was the man lying on the floor of the chopper. She put on the headphones so she could talk to Nikolai. “Speshite Bol'shaya Ptitsa,” she said in a near whisper as she leaned over and gave a kiss to the hand that gripped her so tight.

~0~0~

“So Captain MacTavish killed General Shepherd?”

Nicolette looked at Said and replied, “Why must you always ask a question to which you know the answer?”

Said knew he walked into that one. He had asked it though because he had noticed that she went quiet and almost seemed to stare into space. That last part really seemed to shake her up though and while things seemed to be smoother, it still agitated her. He was trying to bring the conversation around to garner her attention. He replied, “Merely as a means of clarification.”

“More bullshit.”

 _She picked up on that._ Said cleared his throat to try and alleviate his discomfort. She was staring at him with a formidable look and he wasn’t sure he wanted to say more and provoke her. She had been cooperative so far and any hint that she might go overboard would have Pope chomping at the bit to interrogate her and he got the feeling that if that happened she was going to make it like hell.

Nicolette picked up on it as well. She knew that Said was wary about her reaction and she didn’t blame him really. Retelling what happened, Shepherd’s betrayal, it still had her lapse into a thoughtful mode. It allowed her to think of the what ifs that could have happened such as if it would have made a difference if she had said something sooner about her suspicions.

MacTavish trusted her and when she thought about it, it sometimes felt like she had abused that trust. She kept her thoughts to herself even when it was evident it was affecting her visibly and he didn’t question beyond asking what was wrong. All he did was respond with a need to soothe her. The man loved her and she loved him.

Being nice, she relented and said, “Sometimes the obvious is what it is, Said.”

“I can agree on that.”

Nicolette looked up and studied the man. She unfolded her arms and placed them on the table. “Now that the door is opened, what were you really intent on asking?” She raised her brow to indicate she had picked up on his method.

Said leaned back and crossed his arms over his chest. He had learned much about what had happened. He had been surprised that she even managed to gain access to JSOC materials and contacts. Rather the officer sought her out but it was a minor point. He knew that he was going backwards but he felt it was a good place to launch off, “So what did happen to Lt. Riley and Sgt. Sanderson?”

“They were ambushed at Makarov’s safe house,” Nicolette replied. “Betrayed by the man that had the same goal as they did.”

“Same goal?”

Nicolette nodded, seeing that Said was trying to make sense of what she was saying. She explained, “We all had the same goal and that was to capture Makarov. True our work is like trying to bail out a boat with a leaky bucket since, as Shepherd said, the more things change, the more they stay the same.”

“But he killed your unit, branded you all traitors…”

“The sad thing is that Shepherd was right about there needing to be a few sacrifices in order to achieve the larger goal,” Nicolette continued as if she had never been interrupted. She looked down at the table and gently tapped her fingers while thinking about what she had told so far and what was yet to come. “It is fate of sorts to ones who wish to fight this kind of fight. As a soldier, we know that with the job comes the risk of injury and death. It is unavoidable. The thing that defines a soldier and sets him apart is how he lets that work define him.”

“So you agree with what Shepherd did?”

“Of course not. Don’t be stupid.” Nicolette narrowed her eyes at Said thinking he was a total idiot for asking that question. “I merely said that he was right in the cost. Ends don’t always justify the means especially when the dead have no way of speaking for themselves.”

“Sorry,” Said replied as he waved his hands in a placating gesture. “I just wanted to know how you could agree with a man who essentially condemned you to death.” He hoped that would be enough to placate her. He really didn’t want to get her excited over some misunderstanding.

“I merely said he was right in his idea but his methods I abhor.” Nicolette could see that Said didn’t mean to cause a misunderstanding. She wasn’t making anything easier by being difficult either but at this point it was her only leverage into getting out what was more than likely not in the official reports. “If you want the truth, I am glad he is dead. Even before he betrayed us, I had always been uneasy about him.”

“You made a point of that.”

“True and I often wonder if things would have worked out differently if I had relayed my suspicions before they got to the point of no return.” Nicolette sighed as she leaned back in her seat. She crossed her arms over her chest and looked at Said but not really at him. “And I wonder if my team would have believed me.”

“You worried they would doubt you,” Said replied more as a statement than a question.

“What happened in Afghan previous was a wake-up call on how fragile bonds could be,” she admitted softly. “With the events that happened after that… it feels like it is repeating itself. Trust was broken and things shifted. When Shepherd was killed… we were alone.”

Said studied her for a moment. He could tell that this was the end of the story. At least he knew that the 141 didn’t betray their people for certain. Though it was her word against a report made by a dead decorated general and it wasn’t likely to move mountains but his word had some clout. Still like a good investigator, he would gather more until he had the whole story. He slowly got up and took the recorder with him and started to leave. He paused when he had one last question that was probably the most ridiculous out of the whole thing. He asked, “Agent Walker, what was your relationship to former Marine/SOG operative Alex Mason?”

Nicolette looked up at Said. The question sort of had to do with what he was looking at and sort of didn’t. She figured it was more out of curiosity since she never elaborated fully on that. It just happened to be something that occurred the same time the rest of this mess did. She looked at Said and with a slight smirk replied, “That is a story for another day.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And that's a wrap on Cry Havoc. Please leave a review. I welcome any and all. Stay tuned for Part V: Tides of War.


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